The Mystery of Scotland’s Ben MacDhui by Gil Holton
S cotland a land steeped in his-
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tory, traditions and with its mystical charm draws visitors from all over the globe. Scottish people have beliefs in the supernatural and mythical worlds and with all the castles and open land of mountains and Glens legends and tales tend to thrive. The highland mountain ranges are wild with stunningly magnificent scenery and are wonderful places for walkers, climbers and outdoor enthusiasts to experience the sanctuary and power of nature. Ben MacDhui is the highest peak in the Cairngorms (4296 feet (1309 metres)), and the second highest peak ck on li in Scotland. c r s .g re new epost for mo ttp://cret Many who have walked h or climbed in this area of the Cairngorms have experienced a feeling of fear and subsequent panic with some having seen a tall creature that has become known as Am Fear Liath Mòr (The Big Grey Man) of Ben MacDhui. As early as the 1700’s stories have circulated of an unknown entity roaming Ben MacDhui. It was not until 1925 that The Big Grey man gained any notoriety outside Scotland. At the 27th Annual General Meeting of the Cairngorm Club in Aberdeen a world renowned mountaineer and Fellow of the Royal Society, Professor John Norman Collie (1859 – 1942) recalled an experience he’d had earlier in 1891. He said to his audience that he was alone and descending from the summit of Ben MacDhui in misty weather conditions. He could hear his own footsteps but suddenly he became aware of what appeared to be other eerie footsteps but of larger strides crunching behind him. He checked for any visible signs but because of the poor visibility he could see nothing. He continued his descent and as he did so, so did the other unknown footsteps. At this point he became uneasy and then fearful and rapidly descended the 4 to 5 miles to Rothiemurchus forest where his fear eventually subsided. Collie is quoted as saying to his audience “Whatever you make of it I do not know, but there is something very queer about the top of Ben MacDhui and I will not go back there again myself, I know.” Collie’s encounter on Ben MacDhui gained worldwide publicity. Even though Collie was a well-respected, level headed and accomplished pioneer in mountaineering his story attracted the usual skeptical reviews. However Collie’s story was the catalyst that prompted other people that had remained quiet through fear of ridicule to come forward and reveal similar experiences. Peter Densham was an experienced mountaineer and during WW2 he led a team responsible for aircraft recovery and rescue in the Cairngorms.
After the war he was employed in forestry work. On two occasions he experienced some kind of psychic phenomena whist on Ben MacDhui. In one incident he was on a recovery mission with his team member, a Richard Frere. They had arrived at a cairn (manmade stack of stones used as a marker) when at some distance from Frere he heard Frere start talking to someone he thought was on the other side of the cairn. Densham was drawn into the conversation when it suddenly dawned on both of them there was no third party there. On another occasion Densham was on his own on Ben MacDhui taking a rest and eating a snack and the weather had turned misty. The nature of the terrain is known for producing unusual noises but Densham became acutely cold and noticed that feeling of fear emanating on the back of his neck. He heard crunching noises and was suddenly overcome by apprehension and uncertainty so much so that he immediately ran down the mountain. Densham always maintained that Ben MacDhui appeared to have some psychic phenomena and in his words ‘the most mysterious mountain I’ve ever been on’. There are also many tales from those who have been out on Ben MacDhui with their dog. One person was out with his Scottish terrier on a moonlit night. His dog was scurrying around a few yards ahead when suddenly the terrier came scampering back to heal and would not leave its owner side. On reaching a stalkers hut the
terrier crouched by the rear door trembling. What had it sensed? From that day forth the terrier could not be persuade to pass the same spot as the ‘incident’ occurred. Wendy Wood (1892 – 1981) was a gifted artist, sculptor and writer and one of the founder members of the Scottish Patriots that has now become the Scottish Nationalist Party. In one of her many books ‘The Secret of Spey’ she describes a personal experience on Ben MacDhui. It was winter time and as she approached the pass of Lairig Ghru she heard a voice that she described as being of ‘gigantic resonance’ and reminiscent of Gaelic. Searching the area she could find no one and she too became apprehensive then very nervous as to some possible danger and quickly moved away. As with Collie’s experience she could hear her own footsteps and those of larger strides crunching behind her. She moved on quickly until reaching some remote dwellings at Whitewell. An article in ‘The Scots Magazine’ (June 1958) related the experience on Ben MacDhui by Alexander Tewnion a naturalist and mountaineer. It took place in 1943 when he was climbing Ben MacDhui. Tewnion was hunting for game and was carrying a revolver side arm. As he was returning from the mountain by the Corrie Etchachnan track he felt that feeling of unease when suddenly a strange shape loomed up and started to charge at him. Immediately he reacted by firing his revolver 3 times but whatever it was
still kept coming. His instinct made him turn and run down the track until reaching Glen Derry in what he described as ‘reaching Glen Derry in a time that I have never bettered’. This strange phenomena, the legend of Am Fear Liath Mòr, is a footprint in the sands of time and well entrenched in Gaelic legend. Affleck Gray (1907 -1996) a native of the Cairngorm area was a daily kilt wearer and from the age of 12 he explored his beloved Cairngorms. He was a meticulous historian and wrote a well re-searched book, ‘The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui’. In it he sets out the timelines and accounts of numerous witnesses even the most bizarre accounts are not exempt. Sightings although rare have usually been described by witnesses as a tall being surround in a glow of light. The common factors in these sightings have been certain atmospheric conditions and location that can be attributed to an optical illusion known as the Brocken Spectre. If the sun is low and an observer is looking down from a ridge or peak into mist or fog the light projects the observers shadow through the mist. The optical illusion is a magnified shadow and the unusual shape is caused by water droplets, density and movement of the mist or cloud. The ‘being’ is often said to be surrounded by the glowing rings of coloured light that appear directly opposite the sun when sunlight meets a cloud of uniformly-sized water droplets. The experiences of those who sense fear and hear unusual footsteps without any visual cannot be dismissed so easily. Some researchers have named such a fear factor as ‘Mountain Panic’ caused by the feeling of being in wild and desolate places with a realization of our fragility at the mercy of nature. Nature can play amazing tricks on the human mind but as with lots of unusual phenomena there could be other explanations especially if animals such as dogs also become fearful. There is little room for doubt that reliable and sensible people really have quite separately had very similar and very odd experiences on the top of Ben MacDhui that can only be categorized as paranormal as science to date has not proved otherwise. So the legend of The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui lives on. For an armchair critic that does not believe in such phenomena it would be reasonable for him/her to suggest that if you experience a sighting you calmly write it off as the Brocken Spectre. As for those experiences where the body senses danger, hairs on your neck rising, sounds of big stomping footsteps or your dog becomes scared do you ignore them and carry on without any concern ……………or turn FEAR into Forget Everything And Run?!!!!!