Ben Tee

Ben Tee
Ben Tee seen from the cairn on Sròn a' Choire Ghairbh, 3 km to the SW.
Highest point
Elevation	904 m (2,966 ft)
Prominence	356 m (1,168 ft)
Listing	Corbett, Marilyn
Naming
Translation	Fairy Hill (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	/bɛn ˈtiː/
Geography
Location	Highland, Scotland
Parent range	Northwest Highlands
OS grid	NN240971
Topo map	OS Landranger 34, OS Explorer 400

Ben Tee (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn an t-Sìthidh [ˈpeiɲ əɲ ˈtʲiː.ɪ]) is a Scottish mountain situated in the Lochaber area of the Highland council area, some 15 kilometres north of Spean Bridge. It is rated as one of the best of Scotland’s smaller mountains with Hamish Brown saying:

Ben Tee forms part of the Loch Lochy hills along with the Munros of Sròn a' Choire Ghairbh and Meall na Teanga which lie to the south west. It has a height of 904metres (2966 feet) and qualifies as a Corbett and a Marilyn. It is just 10 metres (33 feet) short of being a Munro and it is one of the most recognisable hills in the area with its symmetrical cone making it conspicuous in views for many miles around. The hill lies to the north of Loch Lochy where Glen Garry intersects with the Great Glen.

The origins of the name Ben Tee is not entirely clear. The most widely accepted translation is "Fairy Hill" from Gaelic Beinn an t-Sìthidh. Ben Tee’s conical shape is very similar to that of Schiehallion, also a conical "fairy hill", which gives extra credibility to that translation.

More fanciful suggestions include a derivation from Beinn an Taighe meaning "mountain of the house" or Beinn Dhè, meaning "mountain of God", a number of years ago leading somebone to paint the word GOD on the summit rocks.

An informal local name for Ben Tee is “Glengarry’s Bowling Green”, a rather sardonic name because there is hardly any grass on the rocky summit. Local legend says that nearby Invergarry Castle on the northern shores of Loch Oich was built from stone from Ben Tee’s summit, with workers passing stone hand to hand down the mountain. This story is possibly true as the hill would have great symbolic value to local inhabitants. There is an annual Ben Tee Hill Race, a 14.5 km event starting and finishing at Invergarry shinty club with 900 metres of ascent. The winning runner usually takes about 80 minutes to complete the course to the summit and back.