Mountains
The Mountain Names
An Caisteal: (un KASHTyul) – ‘the castle’
Beinn A’an: Sir Walter Scott is responsible for the erroneous anglicisation of this mountain’s name – it is properly Am Binnean (um BEENyun) ‘the pinnacle’
Beinn a’ Chlèibh: (uh CHLAYV) – ‘the mountain of the creel’
Beinn a’ Choin: (uh CHON) – ‘the mountain of the dog’
Beinn a’ Chròin: (uh CHRÒN) – often given as ‘the mountain of the harm, mischief’, the pronunciation suggests an original of Beinn a’ Chròthain ‘the mountain of the small animal pen’; Stùc a’ Chròin is similar – a ‘stùc’ is a rock or pinnacle
Beinn an t-Sidhein: Beinn an t-Sìthein (un TCHEEhin) – ‘the mountain of the knoll’ (probably a fairy knoll – one of the subsidiary summits on the mountain)
Beinn Bheula: (VAYLuh) – ‘close, nearby mountain’
Beinn Bhreac: (VREH-uchk) – ‘speckled mountain’
Beinn Chaorach: (CHOEURuch) – ‘sheep mountain’
Beinn Chuirn: properly Beinn a’ Chùirn (uh CHOORN) – ‘the mountain of the cairn’
Beinn Dubh: (DOO) – ‘black mountain’
Beinn Dubhchraig: properly Beinn na Dubh Chreige (nuh doo CHRAYKuh) ‘the mountain of the black crag’
Beinn Each: (EH-uch) – ‘mountain of horses’
Beinn Ime: (EEMuh) –‘butter mountain’ probably named for the days of the shieling, when cattle were grazed in the hills during the summer, and butter was made there
Beinn Lochain: properly Beinn an Lochain (un LOCHin) – ‘the mountain of the small loch’
Beinn Luibhean: (LOOeevun) – ‘mountain of herbs’
Beinn Mhòr: (VOAR) – ‘big mountain’
Beinn nan Imirean: (nun IMirun) – ‘the mountain of the ridges’
Beinn Narnain: (NARNin) – recorded as Ben Varnan in older times which suggests Beinn Bheàrnan (VYAARNun), ‘mountain of fissures’ (on its eastern side)
Beinn Odhar: (OA-ur) – ‘sallow-coloured mountain’
Beinn Ruadh: (ROO-ugh) – ‘russet-coloured mountain’
Beinn Tulaichean: (TOOLichun) – ‘mountain of hillocks’
Beinn Ùird: (OORJ) – ‘mountain of the òrd’; An t-Òrd (‘the steep-sided hill’) may have been its original name
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| Beinn an Lochain | Ben Lui | Ben More |
Ben Challum: Beinn Chaluim (CHALim) – ‘Calum/Malcolm’s mountain’
Ben Donich: Beinn Dòmhnaich (DÒNich) – ‘mountain of church land’
Ben Ledi: Beinn Lididh (LEEjee) – ‘hill of the slope’
Ben Lomond: Beinn Laomainn (LOEUmin) – ‘beacon mountain’
Ben Lui: Beinn Laoigh (LOEUee) – ‘mountain of the calf’
Ben More: A’ Bheinn Mhòr (uh vayn VOAR) – ‘the great mountain’
Ben Oss: Beinn Ois (OSH) – usually understood to be ‘elk mountain’, recalling a species now long extinct; however os can also mean a ‘deer’ or ‘stag’
Ben Vane/Benvane: A’ Bheinn Mheadhain (uh vayn VAYun) – ‘the middle mountain’
Ben Venue: A’ Bheinn Mheanbh (uh vayn VENoo) – ‘the small mountain’
Ben Vorlich: There are two mountains of this name in the park, one west of Loch Lomond and the other south of Loch Earn, the Gaelic in both cases being Beinn Mhùrlaig (VOORlik). ‘Mountain of the bay’ is the generally accepted translation of the name (based on muir-bhalg ‘a bay’, literally ‘sea bag’), as each is close to a farm on the lochside called Ardvorlich, thought to mean ‘height above the bay’
Cnoc Còinnich: (crochk KÒNyich) – ‘mossy hill’
Conic Hill: Cnoc Còinnich (crochk KÒNyich) – ‘mossy hill’
Creachan Mòr: An Creachann Mòr (un kreh-uch-un MOAR) –‘the great bare rocky hilltop’
Craig MacRanaich: Creag Mhic Ranaich (crayk vichk RANich) – ‘MacRanich’s crag’, reputedly named after a robber
Cruach Ardrain: Cruach Àrdrain (kroo-uch AARSDrin) – ‘stack (mountain) of the high part’
Doune Hill: An Dùn (un DOON) – ‘the hillfort’
Fiarach: (FEEuruch) – probably ‘oblique/crosswise (mountain)’ – as viewed from Strathfillan. An alternative is Feurach ‘grassy place’
Meall an Fhùdair: (myowl un OOdur) – ‘the hill of the gunpowder’
Meall an t-Seallaidh: (myowl un TCHALee) – ‘the hill of the view’
Meall Buidhe: (myowl BOOyuh) – ‘yellow hill’
Meall Glas: (myowl GLAS) – ‘green hill’
Meall Mòr: (myowl MOAR) – ‘big hill’
Meall na Feàrna: (myowl nuh FYAARNuh) – ‘the hill of the alder tree’
Meall Reamhar: (myowl REHwur) – ‘hill of large circumference’
Sgiath Chùil: (skee-uh CHOOL) – ‘the rear wing or shield (arm of a hill or mountain)’. It is situated behind another sgiath – Sgiath Chrom (CHROWM) ‘crooked wing’ – as seen from Glen Dochart
Sgorach Mòr: probably An Sgòrach Mòr (un SKÒRuch MOAR) – ‘the large hill rising out of the mountain’
Stob Binnein: (stop BEENyin) – ‘peak of the pinnacle’. It is likely that the original was Stob Innein (stop EENyin), ‘peak of the anvil’, as the summit resembles an anvil when viewed from the west
Stob Coire Creagach: Stob a’ Choire Chreagaich (stop uh choruh CHRAYKich) – ‘the peak of the rocky corrie’
The Brack: derives from the Gaelic breac (BREH-uchk) ‘dappled’ or ‘speckled’
The Cobbler: A translation of the Gaelic name An Greusaiche Crom (uhn greeusichuh KROWM) – ‘the crouching cobbler (shoemaker)’, from the shape of the summit rock. Also known as Ben Arthur or Beinn Artair (ARSTur)
The Stob: An Stob (STOP) – ‘the stob (stump) or peak’
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| Ben Ledi | Stob Binnein | The Cobbler (Ben Arthur) |