Scotland
Strathfinella Hill
414M
1358FT
About Strathfinella Hill
Rising above the Howe of the Mearns, Strathfinella Hill is a wooded prominence steeped in dark legends of regicide. It offers a gentle yet rewarding ascent for those who prefer their history bloody and their hiking trails comfortably cushioned by a carpet of fallen pine needles.
Key Statistics
Rank
197th Highest in Nevis to Cairngorms
Parent Range
Lochaber
Prominence
?
239m
Nearest Town
Aboyne
Geology
Highland Granite & Schist
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NO693787
Latitude
56.8986°N
Longitude
2.5056°W
Did You Know?
- •The hill is named after Lady Finella, who allegedly orchestrated the assassination of King Kenneth II in 995 AD using a complex booby-trapped statue.
- •Geologically, the hill sits on the cusp of the Highland Boundary Fault, marking the dramatic physical transition between the Lowlands and the rugged Grampian Highlands.
- •It serves as a massive natural windbreak for the fertile 'Howe of the Mearns' below, a region famous for its rich soil and the literary works of Lewis Grassic Gibbon.
- •While the summit is just 414m, the surrounding commercial forestry means your GPS will frequently insist you are currently a tree, or at least buried deep within one.
- •The labyrinthine network of logging tracks is designed to test your sanity; you will likely pass the same peculiar-looking stump three times before finding the actual top.