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Creag Bheag is a prominent hill in
The word ''Creag'' is a variation of ''crag'' (''rock''), while the
The hill overlooks from NW the centre of
File:Creag Bheag - S panorama.png, Southward panorama
File:Creag Mhor Loch Gynack 01.jpg, Loch Gynack and Creag Mhor from Creag Bheag
Marilyns of Scotland
Kingussie
Mountains and hills of Highland (council area)
Mountains and hills of the Cairngorms
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Etymology
The word ''Creag'' is a variation of ''crag'' (''rock''), while the gaelic
Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to:
Languages
* Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
term ''Bheag'' can be translated as ''small''.
Features
The hill overlooks from NW the centre of Kingussie
Kingussie ( ; ) is a small town in the Badenoch and Strathspey ward of the Highland council area of Scotland. Counties of Scotland, Historically in Inverness-shire, it lies beside the A9 road (Great Britain), A9 road, although the old route of ...
; its E flanks are bordered by the Gynack Burn, a left-hand tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of River Spey
The River Spey () is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom and the third longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is an important location for the traditions of salmon fishing an ...
, and the N face dominates the Loch Gynack. The hilltop is marked by a cairn
A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
, as well as a nearby S summit almost at the same elevation of the main summit. Because of its topographic prominence
In topography, prominence or relative height (also referred to as autonomous height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contour line encircling ...
the hill is classified as a Marilyn.
History
Due to the easy access and the good panorama from its summit the Creag Behag has always been a popular walk. In 1828 some young men of Kingussie erected a memorial cairn, now disappeared, in order to mourn the loss of Alexander, the 4th Duke of Gordon. While the cairn can't be anymore identified, its memory appears in a Rev. Thomas Sinton's text of 1906.Access to the summit
The ascent to Creag Behag from Kingussie is considered a ''classic hillwalk'', appreciated for the panoramic view from the hilltop on the surrounding area. The hike runs on well maintained and waymarked footpaths .Nature conservation
The hill, along with the surrounding area, is part of theCairngorms National Park
Cairngorms National Park () is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of National parks of Scotland, two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National ...
.
References
Panorama
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