Ben Lawers

The fold

Many years ago now we visited and climbed a mountain in Scotland called Ben Lawers. At the bottom of the mountain there was rather a handsome souvenir shop, probably run by the National Trust, from which we acquired the National Trust Guide, third edition, 1986. The shop included a geological model which explained that the mountain was something like the diagram above, with what you have now on the right and the giant fold from which it was eroded on the left. Note the reversed order of the strata and bear in mind that this mountain is more than a kilometre high, to the point of rising more than a kilometre up from the nearby Loch Tay. A striking example of the power and grandeur of geological movements, with some of our party declining to believe. Not exactly creationists, but not convinced by the geology.

The geology

We were not much helped by the diagram turned up by Google, but we suspect that Ben Lawers is something to do with the Tay Nappe, the pale blue area, and may be about where we have the word 'Schiehallion', a slightly smaller mountain, indicated by an arrow, a few miles to the northeast of Ben Lawers. Another rather striking mountain which was climbed around the same time.

The map

While the Ordnance Survey offering is clear about where things are, but quite unhelpful when it comes to the geology. Perhaps I should turn up a map from the Geological Survey, but I have not got around to finding out whether I have to pay to do that online.

All this prompted by another copy of the National Trust Guide turning up in the Raynes Park Platform Library, clearly being serviced by a better class of commuter. A booklet with a stronger focus on the alpine flowers to be found up the mountain, sufficiently old to be undated and in more or less mint condition. Probably from the 1950's.

The National Trust, now left, then right

Perhaps the slight change in size is to do with the move from Imperial to Metric measurements. We also learn that the mountain was bought by the National Trust for Scotland in 1950 through the generosity of one Mr. Percy Unna, killed shortly afterwards in a climbing accident - up a mountain in his early seventies. He does not make it to Wikipedia but he is to be found at reference 1, from which I take the liberty of the following opening quote: 'Environmentalist and philanthropist. Born in London, of Danish extraction, Unna was educated at Eton and Trinity College Cambridge. He became a civil engineer...'. A Sassenach. With the boys from Eton getting everywhere, then and now!

PS: I find that this particular item has been waiting for a slow news day for just about two years now, which might explain the stains on the first illustration. See reference 2.

Reference 1: http://www.scottish-places.info/scotgaz/people/famousfirst3558.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/chelsea-chatter.html.