Schiehallion: The Fairy Hill Of The Caledonians

The lonely peak of Schiehallion is one of the most iconic mountains in Scotland, an almost perfect pyramid, rising in isolation near the heart of the country. Its accessibility has made it a popular hiking route, attracting thousands of walkers each year looking to bag a Munro with spectacular views. There’s much more to Schiehallion than just a summit to conquer though, this is a mountain with stories to tell.

The name has been translated from Gaelic as “The Fairy Hill of the Caledonians”, implying this was an important location for Scotland’s earlier inhabitants. Made up of solid quartz towards the peak, but riddled with limestone caves further down the slopes, Schiehallion has attracted plenty of folklore and legends.

One of these mysterious caves was believed to hide a gateway to the Fairy Kingdom. Its wide entrance quickly narrows, but the chamber that continues deeper and deeper beneath the earth is far too tight for any human to navigate. However, tradition claims that at certain times of the year that changes and the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians comes alive.

There were once two old men who lived on opposite sides of Schiehallion, one at the Braes of Foss and the other near Tempar. Even though both of their backs were badly bent from years of hard labour, they would take turns walking around the mountain to visit each other every Sunday.

One evening, while traversing along the slopes of Schiehallion long after dark, one of the men heard the faint sound of music floating on the breeze. Following his ears, he soon spotted a bright light glowing across the heather and the clear sound of riotous laughter spilling from a cave entrance. He had passed this empty space a hundred times in the past, this was clearly no mortal gathering.

Quietly peeking inside, he saw dozens of fairies feasting, dancing and singing, not paying him the slightest bit of attention. The sight was so captivating and the music so enchanting, that the old man couldn’t help but join in with a song. Fortunately, his voice was one of the best in Perthshire and the fairies seemed delighted to share their revelry with him.

They rewarded his contribution by mending his broken back, granting him perfect health and ensuring he would never be without food or coin again. When he arrived at his destination, the old man’s friend couldn’t believe his eyes. Learning about the meeting with the fairies, he immediately hurried to their cave, hoping to receive the same magical gifts.

The only problem was that he couldn’t carry even the hint of a tune. His voice was so offensive that the fairies immediately stopped the party and pounced on the intruder. Instead of rewarding him with blessings, they cursed him to stoop even lower than before and made his face become hideously ugly.

Sheepishly returning home to face his friend, the old man wept at the stark contrast. He had learned the hard way never to risk offending the fairies of Schiehallion.