Everything about Dumyat totally explained
» For the governorate of Egypt, see Dimyat.
Dumyat is a hill at the western extremity of the
Ochil Hills in central
Scotland. The name is thought to originate from
Dun (hill fort)
of the Maeatae.
Although relatively small (its height is 418 metres), the characteristic shape of the hill forms an important part of the distinctive scenery of the
Stirling area, and it's often depicted (particularly in postcards and calendars) in combination with the nearby
Abbey Craig. The hill is a popular climb with tourists and visitors to the Stirling and
Trossachs area, due to the historical nature of Stirling and the proximity of the
Wallace Monument.
Dumyat has two principal summits: Castle Law on the west, and Dumyat proper on the east. On the summit of Castle Law the remains of an ancient
hill fort, originally occupied by the Maeatae, are still clearly discernible.
At one time the favourite route to the summit of either Dumyat or Castle Law was via the prominent gulley which runs almost straight up the southern scarp face, and continues down the gently sloping north face. This gulley was formed by the erosion of a
fault, resulting from the juxtaposition of soft
pyroclastic rocks on one side against harder
andesite and
basalt on the other. This has resulted in an area where hard
andesite slightly overhangs, and is the darkest and least exposed part of the climb, which isn't particularly difficult. Further gullies, formed by secondary tearing around the main fault (itself a product of the major disturbance which resulted from the
Ochil Fault) extend to the right into Dumyat, and form potential shortcuts to the summit. The first of these, Raeburn's Gulley, is particularly dangerous and should only be attempted by experienced and properly equipped rock climbers, however the second, Siart Gulley, is climbable by anyone of average ability, if care is taken in scrambling up the steep step at the end. The third, fourth and fifth gullies are not named, and become progressively easier.
Sheriffmuir and take a longer but more gently sloping path to the summit, passing behind, for example slightly to the north of, the summit of Castle Law. The third route is via
Menstrie Glen from the east, and is a somewhat gentle ascent in the beginning, which steepens satisfactorily for those who like a decent climb, as the summit is approached.
The exposed terrain of Dumyat and the surrounding muir are suitable only for
sheep farming, with several
sheep folds dotting the hill's sides, along with the ruins of a shepherd's stone house. Dumyat was formerly the site of small-scale mining for
copper and
barytes, although these workings are now abandoned.
The
scree on the scarp face of Castle Law is a source of
agates, not necessarily of the finest quality, but occasionally other specimens such as
smoky quartz and
citrine can be found, along with the inevitable
quartz,
calcite,
barytes, and two ores of copper,
malachite, and less commonly,
azurite.
At the top is a memorial to a Scottish regiment, the
trig point, and a characteristic
cairn with a beacon on top that's currently filled with stones.
The stones which are placed in the beacon are all wishes that have been made by others.
Further Information
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