Place Names of Scotland's National Parks
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teachers resource LITERARY LANDSCAPES Place Names of Scotland’s National Parks Contents Introduction 02 Using this Resource 03 Curriculum for Excellence 03 National Parks in Scotland 04 Place Names Map 06 Setting the Scene 08 Linguistic Heritage 08 Place Names Themes 09 Theme 1 Cultural Heritage and History 09 Theme 2 Wildlife and Biodiversity 19 Theme 3 Landscape Features and Habitats 25 Theme 4 Folklore, Songs and Stories 31 Theme 5 Traditional Routes 37 Further Resources Websites 39 Books 41 Places to Visit 41 Image credits: Front cover and inside cover © Mark Hamblin Contents www.cairngorms.co.uk www.lochlomond-trossachs.org 01 INTRODUCTION Scotland is covered in place names from several In the traditional Gaelic different languages: Gaelic, view of land, people belong Scots, Doric and Norse. to places. The question, ‘where are you from?’ in The Cairngorms National Gaelic is ‘cò as a tha thu?’, Park and Loch Lomond which literally translates as & The Trossachs National ‘who are you from’. This is Park have a particularly rich because, historically, groups natural and cultural heritage, of people (or clans) have and unlocking the language been so strongly associated of the land gives a new way with certain areas of to see these landscapes. Place Scotland, that asking ‘who’ names can tell us the history you are from can also tell people ‘where’ you are of particular areas: the way that from. Identity was, and people used to live and work; often remains, rooted in the ecology of a place; culture the landscape around you of songs, stories, poetry. – the fields, rocks, hills, forests, rivers and lochs The sharing of experiences is within your local area. important to Gaelic and Scots culture. Both have a strong oral This resource offers opportunities tradition, sharing knowledge and for learners to gain different connecting places through stories, perspectives on places in the poetry, song and music. Within Cairngorms National Park and Loch this resource there are a number Lomond & The Trossachs National of prompts for different ways to Park. Through different activities share your experiences and new you are encouraged to see the knowledge with others. landscape through new eyes. Introduction 02 www.cairngorms.co.uk Using this Resource Curriculum for Excellence This resource provides a guide to common place names in Scotland. The activities within this resource There are suggested activities for have been developed to support schools, groups, and individuals. the Curriculum for Excellence, offering learning experiences at The resource can be used to a range of levels. support a class project. The resource is designed to An online map accompanies this support outdoor learning. resource. You are encouraged You are encouraged to take to discover a place name, find the activities outside and learn its meaning, explore the place, in the landscape. This will deepen and share your investigations on learners’ understanding of the map. This will build up a rich, Scotland’s nature, built heritage, interactive map, showing where culture and society. different types of place names can be found. The resource provides many opportunities for interdisciplinary learning: “outdoor learning • The activities primarily support offers many Literacy across Learning opportunities for learners to deepen • The resource supports a number of language curriculum and contextualise areas, including Scots Language, their understanding Gaelic Learner Education and within curriculum Gaelic Medium Education. areas, and for linking • The suggested activities make learning across links with a wide range of the curriculum in curriculum areas, including Expressive Arts, Technologies, different contexts Science and Social Studies, and at all levels.” Health and Wellbeing and Numeracy. Education Scotland Introduction www.lochlomond-trossachs.org 03 National Parks in Scotland In Scotland, National Parks are extensive areas of the very highest value to the nation for their scenery, wildlife, and cultural heritage. They Black Grouse Lek provide an integrated approach to management and sustainable development to safeguard the special qualities of these areas for the long-term. They also provide opportunities for the public to enjoy the special natural and cultural heritage. There are two National Parks: Cairngorms and Loch Twinflower Lomond & The Trossachs. © Mark Hamblin Summit of Ben A’an, overlooking Loch Katrine and the Trossachs Introduction © Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority 04 www.cairngorms.co.uk Cairngorms National Park Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park The Cairngorms National Park is Britain’s largest National Park Loch Lomond & The Trossachs (4,582km²) and contains a unique National Park encompasses around range of landscapes, wildlife, habitats 720 sq miles (1,865 sq km) of some and people. of the finest scenery in Scotland. The National Park is also home to Nearly 50% of the Park is designated over 15,000 people and attracts as important for its nature and around 4million visitors each year. landscapes and one quarter has a European conservation designation It is a place of contrasts, from rolling (Natura 2000). lowland landscapes in the south to high mountains in the north, and has It has five of Scotland’s six highest many lochs and rivers, forests and mountains and impressive landscapes woodlands. It is also a living, working and landforms sculpted by ice age landscape which has been influenced glaciers. The central mountain area by people for generations and is supports a unique collection of plants visited and enjoyed by many for and animals including golden eagle its recreational value. and dotterel, while the interaction between people and nature has The National Park includes Loch produced the rich diversity found Lomond, the largest freshwater in the heather moorlands. The Park loch in Scotland, as well as nearly also contains the largest continuous 40 miles of coastline around three area of natural and semi-natural sea lochs – Loch Long, Loch Goil woodlands in the UK. and the Holy Loch. It also contains The Great Trossachs Forest National Capercaillie, Scottish wildcat Nature Reserve (NNR) which and twinflower are found in the will be the largest area of native pinewoods. The clean waters of broadleaved woodland in the UK. the Spey, Dee and Don support wildlife like salmon, rare lampreys The National Park is home to a and endangered freshwater pearl rich variety of important wildlife mussels. These straths (river valleys) including red squirrels, black grouse, also provide livelihoods for local otters, deer, eagles and powan – a communities. rare freshwater fish native to only Loch Lomond and Loch Eck. The National Park is home to around 18,000 people and tourism is an For more information visit important part of the economy with their websites: at least 1.8 million people visiting the www.cairngorms.co.uk Cairngorms each year. www.lochlomond-trossachs.org Introduction www.lochlomond-trossachs.org 05 PLACE NAMES MAP Accompanying this resource is Here you will need to select one an online mapping application. theme for your place name: Accessed via the National Park websites, the map helps you • Folklore, songs and stories to explore and record the rich • Traditional routes heritage of Scotland’s place names. • Castles and ruins • Battlefields Explore • Elrigs • Towns and villages Take the time to explore the map. • Shielings Click on the icons to see place name • Animals and birds entries. Read the stories, study the • Plants images, listen to pronunciations and • Woodland and forests learn about place name heritage. • Hills The information on the map is • Water, rivers and lochs provided by users of the Literary • Cateran Landscapes resource. Each place name entry is logged by school Tell us the place name in Scots, groups and individuals. Gaelic or Doric. Then tell us the name in English. Record Drop a pin on the map to show Once you have familiarised yourself where your place name is. You with the map, we need you to log a can use the ‘Search’ box to find place name! the site. Zoom in to make sure your pin is precise! You are encouraged to go out in the field to research a place name. Add a photograph or a drawing Go to the place, explore the to illustrate that place. landscape and environment. Try to find out how the place got its name. Add a sound file to demonstrate how the place name is pronounced. When you get back to the classroom, log your findings on our map! Tell us a story about the place name. This might be some factual history To make a report, you will need to about how the place got its name, click a button that will take you to or you might use your imagination to a simple data entry form. produce something more creative! Place Names Map 06 www.cairngorms.co.uk The data entry form Map zoomed in showing Loch Muick Place Name Map www.lochlomond-trossachs.org 07 SETTING THE SCENE Linguistic Heritage a river-meadow; Straucht – a straight stretch of road; Kirk – a church; Some of the earliest place names Burn – a stream; Meikle – big. derive from the language spoken by the Picts, who once ruled The Gaelic dialects of Badenoch and large areas of land north of the Strathspey survived into the 21st Forth. The principal language of Century, while in Aberdeenshire the the Picts seems to have been last native Gaelic speaker died as distantly related to Welsh, Cornish recently as 1984. Today, rich dialects and Breton (P-Celtic). Naming of Scots are still spoken in the elements that are probably Pictish eastern and southern areas of the in origin include Pit – a portion of National Park (often called Doric land; Càrdainn or Cardine – copse; in the east), and there is a revival Aber – mouth of a river (as seen of Gaelic in the north and west. in Aberystwyth and Aberdeen); Monadh or Mounth – a mountain Loch Lomond & The Trossachs range (related to Welsh Myndd); is at the southern edge of the Easg or Esk – a bog stream; Gàidhealtachd (or ‘Highlands’), Dobhar or Dour – water.