River Dee topographic map

Some have called Edinburgh the Athens of the North for a variety of reasons. The earliest comparison between the two cities showed that they had a similar topography, with the Castle Rock of Edinburgh performing a similar role to the Athenian Acropolis. Both of them had flatter, fertile agricultural land…

Average elevation: 104 m

Glasgow itself was reputed to have been founded by the Christian missionary Saint Mungo in the 6th century. He established a church on the Molendinar Burn, where the present Glasgow Cathedral stands, and in the following years Glasgow became a religious centre. Glasgow grew over the following centuries. The…

Average elevation: 128 m

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Fort William has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with moderate, but generally cool, temperatures and abundant precipitation. In the towns immediate vicinity, there are significant variations in elevation, which leads to some uninhabited areas near the town having a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), or, at the absolute…

Average elevation: 122 m

Average elevation: 73 m

Two weather stations collect climate data for the area, Aberdeen/Dyce Airport, and Craibstone. Both are about 4 1⁄2 miles (7 km) to the north west of the city centre, and given that they are in close proximity to each other, exhibit very similar climatic regimes. Dyce tends to have marginally warmer daytime…

Average elevation: 52 m

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Work on the dam and water supply system began in 1905 and was completed in 1907. The hydro-electric scheme was constructed for the British Aluminium Company and was designed by engineer brothers Patrick and Charles Meik. The chief assistant resident engineer on the project was a young William Halcrow. The…

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The entire region was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages, save perhaps for a few nunataks. The complex geomorphology includes incised valleys and lochs carved by the action of mountain streams and ice, and a topography of irregularly distributed mountains whose summits have similar heights…

Average elevation: 907 m

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Dingwall (Scots: Dingwal, Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Pheofharain [ˈiɲɪɾʲ ˈfjɔhəɾɛɲ]) is a town on the Cromarty Firth in Easter Ross in the Highlands of Scotland. It has enjoyed the status of royal burgh since the 13th century, and its local government is the Highland Council. The town has a population…

Average elevation: 94 m

Fraserburgh is also notable for having the highest ever recorded wind speed in the UK at a low altitude. The 142 mph (229 km/h) gust was recorded on 13 February 1989 at Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. The corresponding hourly mean speed was 78 mph (126 km/h).

Average elevation: 9 m

Average elevation: 145 m

Dundee sits on the north bank of the Firth of Tay on the eastern, North Sea Coast of Scotland. The city lies 36.1 miles (58 km) NNE of Edinburgh and 360.6 miles (580 km) NNW of London. The built-up area occupies a roughly rectangular shape 8.3 miles (13 km) long by 2.5 miles (4 km) wide, aligned in an east to…

Average elevation: 82 m

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Average elevation: 683 m

Cumbernauld's name probably comes from the Gaelic comar nan allt, meaning "meeting of the burns or streams". There are differing views as to the etymology of this. One theory is that from its high point in the Central Belt, its streams flow both west to the River Clyde and east to the Firth of Forth so…

Average elevation: 111 m

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In a small glen above Ailsa Castle, a small freshwater body known as the Garry Loch is located at an altitude of 247 m (810 ft), with a depth of at least 17 feet.

Average elevation: 14 m

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Average elevation: 191 m

Ailsa Craig and the County Antrim coast of Ulster and Rathlin Island are all clearly visible from the Mull. On clearer days it is also possible to make out Malin Head in Inishowen in County Donegal in the west of Ulster, and the Ayrshire coast on the other side of Ailsa Craig. Other islands in the Firth of…

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Ben Nevis has a highland (alpine) maritime (oceanic) polar climate (ET climate in the Köppen classification). Ben Nevis's elevation, maritime location and topography frequently lead to cool and cloudy weather conditions, which can pose a danger to ill-equipped walkers. According to the observations carried…

Average elevation: 912 m

Average elevation: 160 m

Due to its prominence when seen from the lower ground of the Central Belt, Ben Vorlich is one of the most commonly seen of Munros, Scotland's peaks of at least 3,000 ft (914.4 m) elevation. It lies in an area of land bounded to the north by Loch Earn and to the west by Loch Lubnaig. The town of Callander lies…

Average elevation: 646 m

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Ardersier /ˈɑːrdəsir/ (Scottish Gaelic: Àird nan Saor) is a small former fishing village in the Scottish Highlands on the Moray Firth near Fort George, between Inverness and Nairn. Its name may be an anglicisation of the Gaelic "Àird nan Saor", or "Headland of the joiners", one local legend being that…

Average elevation: 8 m

Average elevation: 119 m