taken 2 years ago, 3 km from Tarbrax, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Black Birn
A 'birn' is either something to do with a clarinet mouthpiece, an old Scots contraction of 'burden', or a stem of heather left after the rest of the plant has disappeared due to muirburning. The heather gets burnt in order to promote new growth: this is said to provide more nourishment than the older heathers - some of which get left for shelter - to the grouse in gameshooting areas. It obviously must be the third meaning that gives this small flat-topped hill its name. The Dictionaries of the Scots Language website is often a handy resource for getting to the bottom of old topographical names in Central Scotland..
It is rather hard to determine exactly where the top of the hill is, and I notice it has crossed grid-squares within the last 60 years. The surface is a mix of heather, grass and large round clumps of bouncy moss, and the hill behind the lone conifer is Harrow's Law.
Geographical Context:
Moorland
Primary Subject:
Moorland
other tags:
OS Hill
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