This is Scotland at its wildest – Knoydart, a peninsula in the north-west, which consists of nothing but mountains, rivers and forest with a few farms and cottages scattered around the perimeter.
Ladhar Bheinn, the mountain pictured here, is one of Knoydart’s Munros, rising to 3,346 feet; geologists believe that the peak was almost completely covered with ice during the last Ice Age, leaving just a small pyramid of bare rock protruding above 3,100 feet. This feature is known as a ‘nunatak’, and from some angles it is easy to see.
According to ‘Land of Mountain and Flood – the Geology and Landforms of Scotland’ by McKirdy, Gordon and Crofts: “A line known as the periglacial trim line marks a boundary between frost-weathered rock on the summit… and ice-scoured bedrock along the ridge below.“
In the above image, the ‘nunatak’ is just visible with snow on it, to the right of and behind the central summit. (Ladhar Bheinn is pronounced ‘Laa-ven‘.)
You can read about the geology of Knoydart and much, much more in a new book that has just been released: ‘Knoydart – Landscape, History, People’ by Joanne Woolf and Jim Manthorpe, and published by Madwolf Design; ISBN 978-0-9556968-4-8.
Priced at 4.95 plus p&p, it’s available from the Knoydart Foundation, telephone 01687 462242.
Photos copyright © Colin Woolf
12 Comments
tearoomdelights
Hooray, your book’s out – congratulations! One day I really hope I can visit this area.
Jo Woolf
Thank you! 😀 It looks great, and we hope it does a lot of good for Knoydart.
Susan Abernethy
Congratulations on the book Jo! That’s wonderful. And the mountain is magnificent.
Jo Woolf
Thank you very much, Susan!
Homestead Ramblings
Wonderful! 🙂
Jo Woolf
Thank you! 🙂
Ysbryd
Any way to pick your brain about this place? I am searching for something workable in my novel.
Jo Woolf
Of course! What would you like to know? I don’t have a great deal of specialist knowledge (such as detailed geology), but I have done some research into Knoydart’s history and landscape. Drop me an email at jo (at) madwolf.co.uk first of all.
Debi
Glad I found this – I used to work at Camusrory at the end of Loch Nevis when it was an adventure centre in the early 70’s.
Jo Woolf
What a lovely place to work! Thanks for your comment, Debi. 🙂
Kevin Gore
Just descovered this almost by accident, looks like it will be a great read. I was inspired to visit by Jim’s trailblazer guide. Fell in love with the place and became a ‘friend’.
Jo Woolf
Thank you, Kevin! I hope you enjoy it. Yes, Knoydart is such a beautiful place! The wildlife, flowers, geology, beaches… and the people! – all so lovely!