Campsie Fells facts for kids
The Campsie Fells, also called the Campsies, are a group of hills in the middle of Scotland. They stretch from east to west, from Denny Muir to a hill called Dumgoyne in Stirlingshire. These hills look over an area called Strathkelvin to the south. Part of the Campsies are also in East Dunbartonshire.
Many villages are close to the Campsie Fells. To the south, you can see Strathblane, Blanefield, Milton Of Campsie , Lennoxtown, and Torrance. Killearn is to the west, and Fintry is to the north. Other nearby hills include the Fintry Hills (north), Kilpatrick Hills (west), and Kilsyth Hills (east).
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Walking and Exploring
The highest point in the Campsie Fells is a hill called Earl's Seat. It stands 578 meters (about 1,896 feet) tall. At the very top of Earl's Seat, you will find a trig point. This is a special marker used by mapmakers.
There are two main ways to climb Earl's Seat. You can start near the Glengoyne Distillery and walk past Dumgoyne. Or, you can go up the Fin Glen, starting from Clachan of Campsie. Both routes offer great views of the Scottish countryside.
What's in a Name?
The name "Campsie" comes from one of the hills in the range. It means "crooked fairy hill." This name comes from two old Scottish Gaelic words: cam, which means "crooked," and sìth, which means "seat" or "fairy."
The word "Fells" comes from an old Norse word, fjall, which simply means "hill." So, the Campsie Fells are literally the "crooked fairy hills."
How the Hills Were Formed
The Campsie Fells were created by ancient lava flows. These flows happened a very long time ago, during a period called the Carboniferous period. Over time, a geological fault (a crack in the Earth's crust) called the Campsie Fault caused the rocks to erode. This erosion left behind layers of rock, showing where about 30 different lava flows once were.
The River Carron starts its journey in the Campsie Fells. Its waters begin high up in these hills.
Interesting Facts and History
The Campsie Fells are famous for being the place where Scottish skiing began! A man named William W. Naismith from Glasgow was the first person ever to ski in Scotland. He skied in the Campsie Fells in March 1892.
These hills were also used as a filming location for the movie Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. The Campsies pretended to be Natal in South Africa for a scene about the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. One day, it was so cold during filming that the actors playing the Zulu warriors refused to wear their costumes. Because of the freezing weather, filming had to be stopped for the day!
