Many Scottish mountains bear descriptive names, with Morven being one such hill. Its name comes from the Gaelic “A’ Mhòr Bheinn,” meaning “the big hill.” Truly informative.
The summit of Morven is flat and broad, strewn with pebbles and small rocks, many smothered by patches of deep lichen. In contrast, the summit cairn comprises large stones, topped by a modern marker1https://canmore.org.uk/site/139215.
The silence there struck me. On the way up, apart from the rustling of the wind, we heard no ‘Goback, goback, goback‘ call of the Red grouse. For the heather slopes are much used for grouse shooting. A landrover track finished at 600 metres, and the grouse butts appeared quite new.
Queen Victoria ascended Morven in 1859 and recorded the “magnificent view” she enjoyed from the summit in her diary. That year, she turned forty and had given birth to her ninth child three years earlier. Perhaps Albert accompanied her, three years before his death. One wonders if she walked or rode a pony.
- 1https://canmore.org.uk/site/139215
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