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The Sidlaws are a range of hills in the counties of
The Sidlaws are formed from a mix of
The Sidlaws are a range of hills in the counties of Perthshire
Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the nor ...
and Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* Angu ...
in Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
that extend for 30 miles (45 km) from Kinnoull Hill
Kinnoull Hill is a hill located partly in Perth and partly in Kinfauns, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It shares its name with the nearby Kinnoull parish.
Summit
In view from the -high south-facing summit is the Friarton Bridge, a stretch of t ...
, near Perth
Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...
, northeast to Forfar
Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a po ...
. A continuation of the Ochils
The Ochil Hills (; gd, Monadh Ochail is a range of hills in Scotland north of the Forth valley bordered by the towns of Stirling, Alloa, Kinross, Auchterarder and Perth. The only major roads crossing the hills pass through Glen Devon/ Gle ...
, they separate the valley of Strathmore to the north from the Carse of Gowrie
The Carse of Gowrie is a stretch of low-lying country in the southern part of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It stretches for about along the north shore of the Firth of Tay between Perth and Dundee. The area offers high-quality agricultu ...
on the shore of the Tay.
At 1492 feet (455 metres), Craigowl Hill, north of Dundee, is the highest of the Sidlaws. Points of interest include Dunsinane Hill
Dunsinane Hill ( ) is a hill of the Sidlaws near the village of Collace in Perthshire, Scotland. It is mentioned in Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'', in which Macbeth is informed by a supernatural being, "Macbeth shall never vanquished be, unti ...
, mentioned in Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
play ''Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'', and Auchterhouse Hill
Auchterhouse Hill is the second highest hill of the Sidlaw range in South East Angus. At , it is classified as a Tump with a relative height of 81 metres. Auchterhouse Hill is located near Auchterhouse
Auchterhouse is a village, community ...
, which was the site of an ancient hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- ...
. The ruined observatory on Kinpurnie Hill
Kinpurnie Hill is one of the most famous hills of the Sidlaw range in south-east Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland ...
was built in the 18th century and can be seen for many miles on the Strathmore side of the Sidlaws. There is a local legend that a poacher named Brandon Henderson lived as a hermit in the tower for seven years in order to win a £100 bet.
''Sidlaw Hills'' is also the name of a "Schottische
The schottische is a partnered country dance that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina (" chotis" ...
" marching tune composed for the fiddle by Jim Watson of Blairgowrie (1868–1931).
Geology
The Sidlaws are formed from a mix of igneous
Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma o ...
and sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particle ...
s originating during the early part of the Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, w ...
period.
The Dundee Flagstones are a mix of slabby and cross-bedded sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
s with some siltstone
Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility.Blatt ''et al.'' 1980, ...
s and mudstones which interleave with the rocks of the overlying Ochil Volcanic Formation. They form the bulk of the hills along the southern margin of the range from Scotston Hill and the eastern slopes of Balkello Hill in the west, through Craigowl Hill, much of Gallow Hill, Ironside Hill and Finlarg Hill to Kincaldrum Hill in the east, together with the outlying Fothringham Hill and Carrot Hill ridge. The Dundee Flagstones were intruded by rocks of the 'Midland Valley Siluro-Devonian Mafic Intrusion Suite'; these outcrop on parts of Auchterhouse and Scotston hills, Blacklaw and West Mains hills.
The Ochil Volcanics form the sometimes craggy King's Seat, Gask Hill, Northballo and Southballo hills and the ridge north and west of Long Loch; Lundie Craigs are a significant southeast facing exposure of this formation. They are also found across the larger part of Carlunie Hill and Berry Hillock together with Kinpurney Hill. The overlying Scone Sandstone forms the hill of Castleward and underlies the low ground of Strathmore to the north.
Much of the lower ground around and within the hills is covered by glacial till
image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
, a legacy of the last ice age. Glaciofluvial deposits
Glaciofluvial deposits or Glacio-fluvial sediments consist of boulders, gravel, sand, silt and clay from ice sheets or glaciers.
They are transported, sorted and deposited by streams of water.
The deposits are formed beside, below or downstream ...
from the late stages of the ice age and post-glacial alluvium
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
are also widespread.
Beautifully coloured agates
Agate () is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Anci ...
, which formed over millions of years in cavities (originally gas bubbles) in the volcanic lava which formed the hills, are occasionally to be found weathered out of the rock in the surrounding fields.
See also
* B954 road * Newtyle Hill * Wester DenoonReferences
External links
Hills of the Scottish Midland Valley Mountains and hills of Angus, Scotland Mountains and hills of Perth and Kinross Volcanism of Scotland Devonian volcanism Mountain ranges of Scotland {{Authority control