Creag Scalabsdale

Rising above the lonely moorlands of East Sutherland, this prominent Marilyn offers a classic Highland experience of heather and peat. The pathless ascent across rolling ground rewards walkers with vast, uncluttered views across the Moray Firth and north towards the distinctive cone of Morven and the long ridge of Scaraben.

• •The name is a linguistic map of history; Creag is Gaelic for crag, while Scalabsdale likely stems from the Old Norse Skalps-dalr, a remnant of the Viking presence in the coastal glens of Sutherland.
• •The summit provides a superb vantage point for the 'Caithness giants' to the north, specifically the sharp cone of Morven and its neighbour Scaraben, which stand out against the low-lying peatlands of the Flow Country.
• •Looking seaward, the view extends across the Moray Firth towards the Tarbat Ness peninsula and, in exceptionally clear conditions, the distant high tops of the Cairngorms.
• •Its status as a Marilyn ensures a sense of isolation; it is the kind of hill where the local red deer population usually looks more surprised to see you than you are to see them.