I had expected little from the climb of Beinn Mhòr, South Uist’s highest mountain. From the west, it looks like nothing more than a bulky lump, and its name, meaning simply “big hill” in Gaelic, is repeated all over Scotland. It did not promise much. Yet the summit ridge took us by surprise. From the Gleann Sheileasdail side, cliffs and gullies emerged through shifting cloud, lit now and then by sudden shafts of sun. We traversed just as the wind changed, south-westerly veering to the north-west. A force five, merely a fresh breeze, but just enough lull to enjoy it.
It would be tempting to blame the Gaelic bards for their lack of imagination in naming it. But perhaps the fault lies with the Ordnance Survey, which stamped Beinn Mhòr on the map and left it at that.
Locals have always called it Gèideabhal. This might come from “seite”, meaning poor grass, though more likely it is a Gaelic rendering of the Old Norse “geitar fiall”—goat mountain. Blaeu’s 17th-century map names it Keadafeald. Arran’s Goatfell went through much the same linguistic shift.1Drummond, Peter. “Scottish Hill Names”. Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 1992. ISBN 978-0-907521-95-2.
Across the Hebrides, Norse names still cling to the hills. Beinn Mhòr’s neighbour to the north is called Hekla, same as the volcano in Iceland. The Norse seemed fond of naming things after goats, and Scotland still carries traces of this, Gèideabhal and Goatfell among them.
No goats were seen today. But their name remains.
- 1Drummond, Peter. “Scottish Hill Names”. Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 1992. ISBN 978-0-907521-95-2.
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