Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Bealach-nam-Bo

Bealach-nam-Bo (Gael. 'pass of the cattle'), a birchclad mountain-pass across the northern shoulder of Ben Venue, in Aberfoyle parish, Perthshire. It appears to have been formed by an earthquake stroke partially dissevering the mountain; it resembles a terrace, overhanging the S side of Loch Katrine, at an altitude of about 800 feet above the lake; and, in the days of Highland caterans, when the pass of the Trossachs could be ascended only by a ladder, it was the route by which stolen cattle were brought in from the Lowlands. Between the pass and the lake is a vast corrie, a deep amphitheatre, at least 1800 feet wide, closed all round by steep rocks, towering on two sides to a height of not less than 500 feet. This was imagined by the Highlanders in olden times to be tenanted by 'urisks,' fabulous creatures similar to the Grecian satyrs; and it bears the name of Coir-nan-Uriskin, or the Goblin's Cave.


(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a birchclad mountain-pass"   (ADL Feature Type: "gaps")
Administrative units: Aberfoyle ScoP       Perthshire ScoCnty

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