Monadhliath Mountains facts for kids
The Monadhliath Mountains, also called Monadh Liath, are a group of mountains in Scotland. The name "Monadh Liath" comes from Scottish Gaelic. It means "grey mountain range". These mountains stretch from northeast to southwest. They are located west of Strathspey and the Cairngorms. They are also southeast of Loch Ness.
The Monadhliath Mountains are part of the Highland council area. The southern and eastern edges are inside the Cairngorms National Park. The highest point is Càrn Dearg, which is 945 meters (3,100 feet) tall. It is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Inverness. Càrn Dearg is one of four Munros in the Monadhliath. A Munro is a Scottish mountain over 914.4 meters (3,000 feet). The other Munros are A'Chailleach (930 m), Geal Chàrn (926 m), and Càrn Sgulain (920 m). The Monadhliath Mountains are also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). This means they are protected for their special nature.
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What Makes the Monadhliath Mountains Special?
The Monadhliath Mountains are different from other large mountains in the Scottish Highlands. They are mostly high moorland, which means open, uncultivated land. They do not have sharp, rocky ridges like many other mountain ranges. The four Munros are all found along the edge facing the Spey valley. Three of them can be climbed together in a popular route from Newtonmore. The inner parts of the mountains are not visited very often.
The Findhorn River Valley
The main valley inside the Monadhliath Mountains is called the Findhorn. This river valley is very winding. It has not been changed much by glaciers. This makes it quite unique.
How Old Are These Mountains?
The landscape of the Monadhliath Mountains is very old. It is one of the most ancient areas in Britain. Its basic shape has been forming for over 400 million years. This started when the Caledonian Mountains were created. The land surface still gently slopes northwest towards the Great Glen. This is away from the main mountain divide that crosses the Cairngorms.
How Glaciers Shaped the Land
Huge sheets of ice have covered the Monadhliath many times. However, they have not changed the mountains' main features much. There are no deep, bowl-shaped valleys called corries, except near the Munros. There are only a few short valleys carved by glaciers. One example is Glen Killin in the north.
Scientists have recently learned that thin ice on the high plateau freezes to the ground. But as this ice starts to flow into valleys, it gets thicker. It also moves faster and warms up. This allows it to carve out and widen the valleys. This process happened as recently as about 12,000 years ago. This was during the last cold period, known as the Younger Dryas.
Changes to the Wild Landscape
For a long time, the inner Monadhliath Mountains were very remote. They were a naturally treeless and wild area. It was one of the last large "wild lands" in human terms. Only a few people who hunted deer or grouse knew about it.
However, things have changed due to the search for renewable energy. The Glendoe hydro-electric scheme was built near Fort Augustus. This project uses water to make electricity. The reservoir and dam themselves do not cause too much disturbance. But many heavy-duty roads were built to reach the weirs. These roads collect water for the scheme. They have made the area less remote and wild.
These new roads also helped build a very large wind energy project. This project is one of several in the area. They are close to a major power line that crosses Corrieyairack Pass. These wind farms now stand out on the skyline. You can see them from the Cairngorms and Western Highlands, even up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.
