Schiehallion: The Mountain That Weighed the Earth
Grampian and Tayside, Scotland
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400
XP
1 day
Schiehallion: The Mountain That Weighed the Earth
400 XP
Schiehallion — Sìth Chailleann, the fairy hill of the Caledonians — is so isolated and so regular in shape that in 1774 the Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, used it to estimate the mass of the Earth, and his assistant Charles Hutton drew lines of equal height to handle the survey, an early use of contour lines. The path up the eastern side, owned by the John Muir Trust since 1999, was rebuilt in 2001 after erosion, and the top looks over Loch Rannoch and Rannoch Moor to Glencoe and Ben Nevis.
Required Activities
1
of 3
Climb Schiehallion (1,083m), where Nevil Maskelyne's 1774 experiment measured the Earth's density
2
of 3
Look across Loch Rannoch and Rannoch Moor to Glencoe and Ben Nevis from the summit
3
of 3
Find out how Charles Hutton used lines of equal height, an early form of contour lines, to handle the survey of the mountain
Climb Schiehallion (1,083m), where Nevil Maskelyne's 1774 experiment measured the Earth's density
Look across Loch Rannoch and Rannoch Moor to Glencoe and Ben Nevis from the summit
Find out how Charles Hutton used lines of equal height, an early form of contour lines, to handle the survey of the mountain
Before you go
A full mountain day on exposed ground. The weather on the tops can be far worse than in the glen — boots, waterproofs, map and compass, and turn back if the cloud comes down.
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About Grampian and Tayside
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XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
400 XP
Potential total
400 XP
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