| Lochnagar | |
|---|---|
| Beinn Chìochan | |
 Lochnagar summit and loch from Meikle Pap | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,155 m (3,789 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 671 m (2,201 ft) |
| Parent peak | Ben Avon |
| Isolation | 19.21 km (11 mi 1,648 yd)[2] |
| Listing | Munro,Marilyn |
| Coordinates | 56°57′17″N3°14′25″W / 56.9547321°N 3.2402559°W /56.9547321; -3.2402559 |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Beinn Chìochan (Scottish Gaelic) |
| English translation | breast-shaped mountain |
| Pronunciation | English:/ˌlɒxnəˈɡɑːr/ ⓘLOKH-nə-GAR Scottish Gaelic:[peɲˈçiəxən] |
| Geography | |
  Lochnagar | |
| Parent range | Grampian Mountains |
| OS grid | NO244861 |
| Topo map | OSLandranger 44 |
Lochnagar orBeinn Chìochan is a mountain in theMounth, in theGrampians ofScotland. It is about five miles (eight kilometres) south of theRiver Dee nearBalmoral. It is a popular hill withhillwalkers, and is a noted venue for summer andwinterclimbing. At the foot of the mountain is alochan,Lochan na Gaire, from which the mountain's name derives.
The English name refers to a mountainloch in the northeastcorrie,Lochan na Gaire, the 'little loch of the noisy sound'.Beinn Chìochan orBeinn nan Cìochan, 'mountain of breasts' or 'breast-shaped mountain', is probably the originalGaelic name for the mountain.[3][4][5]
The summit itself isCac Càrn Beag,[6] meaning 'small cairn of faeces' in Gaelic, or less euphemistically, 'little pile of shit'.[6] Peter Drummond, former chairman of theArchitectural Heritage Society of Scotland, has also suggested thatcac is a corruption ofcadha ('slope'), which would lend a translation of 'little cairn of the slope'.[6]
Lochnagar is located on the Royal Estate ofBalmoral.[7] Its principal feature is a north-facingcorrie, around which most of the subsidiary tops, as well as the main peak, sit. The corrie is the location of many classic summer and winter climbing routes.[8] The mountain is aMunro and is popular with hillwalkers at all times of the year, with the most common ascent route being fromGlen Muick.[9] Care should be taken on the summit in poor visibility: the plateau has few obvious features and has steep cliffs on its northern edge.
Lochnagar's summit experiences anAlpine Tundra Climate, with freezing, snowy winters and cool summers. The nearest UK Met Office weather station is atBraemar6+1⁄2 miles (10 kilometres) northwest. The yearly temperature range is usually between −6.6 and 9.4 °C (20.1 and 48.9 °F). January has the highest average frosts, despite February nights being colder; January has an average of 26.9 frost days, compared with 24.3 in February. There is the risk of a frost at any time of the year, even in July and August, when each month averages 1 air frost every 10 years.[10][11]
Lochanagar lies within theCairngorms National Park, and also gives its name toDeeside and LochnagarNational Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland.[12] The designated national scenic area is 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) in size, and covers the mountains surrounding Lochnagar as far south as the head ofGlen Doll, as wellDeeside to the north.[13]
The mountain forms part of two designatedSpecial Protection Areas,[14] due to its importance for breedingdotterel (Charadrius morinellus)[15] andgolden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos).[16]
Due to its location on the Balmoral estate the mountain has many royal links, andQueen Victoria climbed to the summit in 1848.[8] In the filmMrs. Brown,John Brown andBenjamin Disraeli hike up Lochnagar to discuss the need for the Queen to return to active involvement with government. It is also the setting for a children's story,The Old Man of Lochnagar, originally told byPrince Charles. In 2023, arecessional tune entitledThe Call of Lochnagar was composed for the service at which Charles III was presented theHonours of Scotland.[17][18]
The poetLord Byron spent time in the area in his youth,[19] and wrote the poem,Lachin y Gair (also known asDark Lochnagar), which also forms the basis of a song which would eventually be composed byBeethoven.
England! thy beauties are tame and domestic,
To one who has rov'd on the mountains afar:
Oh! for the crags that are wild and majestic,The steep, frowning glories of dark Loch na Garr
— Byron[8]
Amalt-whisky distillery located near the Balmoral estate on the south side of theRiver Dee produces theRoyal Lochnagar Single Malt whisky.
The hill gives its name to one of the houses atAboyne Academy.
Settlements and places of interest inMarr, Aberdeenshire | ||
|---|---|---|
| Primary settlements |  | |
| Other settlements | ||
| Places of interest |
| |
 | ||
| Northern Highlands (20) |    | |
|---|---|---|
| Western Highlands (20) | ||
| Central and Eastern Highlands (13) | ||
| Southern Highlands (15) | ||
| Islands (13) | ||
| Scottish Lowlands, England and Wales (13) | ||
| Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland (25) | ||
