![Heabhal [Sheabhal] [Heaval]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Castlebay_and_the_Heaval.jpg)
Scotland
Heabhal [Sheabhal] [Heaval]
384M
1260FT
About Heabhal [Sheabhal] [Heaval]
Rising as the highest point on the island, this prominent Marilyn offers a short, steep ascent over typically damp turf. The summit is marked by a trig pillar, providing an immense coastal panorama featuring the turquoise waters of Castlebay and the smaller islands trailing south into the Atlantic.
Key Statistics
Rank
73rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Northern Isles
Prominence
?
384m
Nearest Town
Bàgh a' Chaisteil
Geology
You are walking on ancient, banded gneiss and crystalline rocks. These tough foundations were once molten deep underground before heat and pressure reshaped them into the mountain you see today.
Nearby Fells
Sheabhal North Top
Hartabhal
Cadha Mor
Beinn nan Carnan
Ben Leribreck
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NL678994
Latitude
56.9662°N
Longitude
7.4682°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a Gaelic adaptation of the Old Norse 'fjall', meaning mountain, reflecting the significant Viking influence on the nomenclature of the Scottish islands.
- •A notable landmark on the southern slope is the 'Our Lady of the Sea' statue, a white marble figure erected in 1954 that looks out over the local harbour and serves as a point of pilgrimage.
- •The summit offers a bird's-eye view of the medieval Kisimul Castle sitting in the bay below, with the peaks of the southern archipelago, including Vatersay, Pabbay, and Mingulay, clearly visible to the south.
- •Despite its modest height of 384 metres, the hill is classified as a Marilyn because it is the highest point for miles, possessing a topographic prominence of over 150 metres.
- •The ascent is often described as a 'vertical bog'; walkers usually spend as much time navigating around peat hags as they do actually climbing toward the trig pillar.