Ben Bhraggie

Ben Bhraggie (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn a' Bhragaidh) is a hill in Scotland which rises to an elevation of 397 metres (1,302 ft) above sea level.

Advised to follow the latest economic and social theories he decided to resettle the population in new villages along the coast to make way for large sheep farms inland.

The other – and probably more common view – is that he decided it would be more profitable for the estate to turn the land over to large scale sheep farming, and so the tenants would have to go, whether they wanted to or not.

In 1819 the coincidence of this practice with a spell of dry weather and the eviction of 425 families led to the Observer newspaper running the headline: "the Devastation of Sutherland".

Work soon began and the stone for the massive base and plinth was quarried from the north east side of Ben Bhraggie, about 50 yards (45 metres) from the monument's location.

An unsuccessful campaign was launched in 1995 by the late Sandy Lindsay, of Newtonmore, to tear down the statue, and erect a commemorative Celtic Cross or plaque dedicated to the victims of the Clearances.

A BBC news report of this incident quoted a local person saying that few people wished the statue removed; instead they saw it as an important reminder of history.

This features black and red graded routes, going from the summit of the hill down to the village of Golspie, including the longest singletrack descent in the UK at around 7 km.

"The Mannie"— statue erected to George Leveson-Gower on the summit of Ben Bhraggie