![Sleteachal Mhor [Sleiteachal Mhor]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Sl%C3%A8iteachal_Mh%C3%B2r_summit_plateau_-_geograph.org.uk_-_8152603.jpg)
Scotland
Sleteachal Mhor [Sleiteachal Mhor]
247M
809FT
About Sleteachal Mhor [Sleiteachal Mhor]
Rising as the highest point on the island of Rousay, this broad, peat-clad Marilyn offers an expansive sense of isolation despite its modest height. The terrain is typical of the Northern Isles—rough heather and boggy stretches—leading to a summit trig pillar with commanding views across Eynhallow Sound toward the Orkney Mainland.
Key Statistics
Rank
150th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Northern Isles
Prominence
?
160.4m
Nearest Town
Àirigh a' Bhruthaich
Geology
You are walking on rocks crushed and ground together by the intense pressure of the Outer Hebrides Thrust Zone, a massive ancient fault line.
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NB213187
Latitude
58.0703°N
Longitude
6.7277°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a linguistic hybrid, likely rooted in the Old Norse 'sletta' (flat) and 'fjall' (hill), later appended with the Gaelic 'mhor' meaning great, reflecting the hill’s stepped, flat-topped profile.
- •As the island's 'high point', the summit provides a strategic vantage point over the 'Egypt of the North', with the archaeological sites of the Westness coast and the nearby islands of Egilsay and Wyre clearly visible.
- •The ascent is often combined with the neighbouring Blotchnie Fiold, crossing a landscape defined by terraced sandstone ridges known locally as 'hamars'.
- •In the context of the Northern Isles, a height of 246 metres is enough to dominate the horizon, whereas in the Cairngorms it would likely be dismissed as a minor undulation on a long approach.