The Sgurr of Eigg


(An Sgùrr)

A distinctively-shaped hill which forms the highest point on the island of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides, the Sgurr of Eigg (or An Sgùrr) comprises a line of summits which reach 394m (1292 feet) at their eastern extremity (the Nose of Sgurr), 1¼ miles (2 km) west northwest of Galmisdale. There is an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar close to the summit. Dating from the volcanism associated with the opening of the Atlantic Ocean in the early Tertiary (Paleocene), this represents the largest exposure of columnar pitchstone lava in the UK. A substantial hill-fort on a lesser summit to the west extends to 5 ha (12 acres) and was described by geologist Hugh Miller (1802-56) as having "formed one of the most inaccessible in the kingdom" following his visit in 1844. Traveller Sarah Murray (1744 - 1811) climbed the Sgurr in 1802 and described her ascent in her Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties in the Western Highlands of Scotland. It was also climbed by television presenter Paul Murton during his Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands for the BBC in 2013.

Another An Sgùrr rises to almost the same height in North Strome, 42 miles (67 km) to the northeast.


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