Sgòr an Lochain Uaine, Mountain peak in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
Sgòr an Lochain Uaine is a granite mountain summit in the Cairngorms, Scotland, rising to around 1260 m and ranking among the highest points in Britain. The peak sits above a small green lochan in a northeastern corrie, with rocky ridges on all sides dropping away into open moorland.
The summit received full Munro status in 1997 after the Scottish Mountaineering Council updated its criteria for classifying Scottish peaks. Before that, it was not counted as a separate summit in official lists, even though climbers had been visiting it for generations.
Alexander Copland of the Cairngorm Club gave the summit its English nickname, The Angel's Peak, in the late 19th century, comparing its ridgelines to outstretched wings. The Gaelic name Sgòr an Lochain Uaine translates roughly as the peak of the green lochan, referring to the small lake visible from the upper slopes.
The climb sits well above the tree line, so navigation skills and solid gear are needed on all routes. Weather can change quickly at this elevation, and some approaches cross exposed ridges where wind and snow are common even in summer.
Ptarmigan and Snow Buntings live near the summit year-round, two bird species that in Britain are found almost nowhere except at high elevation. A handful of rare high-altitude plants also grow on the upper slopes, species that have no equivalent at lower ground anywhere in the country.
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