Click the tartan to view its entry in The Scottish Registers of Tartans which includes registration details, restrictions, and registrant information.
Unregistered tartans may link to one of the web's online design environments for similar information.
For any questions about reproduction of designs or weaving of these tartans, please contact the registrant directly or via this website.
Mountain Day
“Even a dark hill glows quietly beneath the stars.”
At this time of year, when dark winter nights settle early across the Highlands, it feels fitting to turn to the deep, moody tones of the black on black Ben Dhu tartan—named for “the black mount.” The best-known Beinn Dubh rises above the village of Luss on Loch Lomond, its broad heathered slopes long used by shepherds and drovers moving cattle through the western Highlands. The hill earns its name in winter, when dusk gathers early along its ridge and the hillside seems to vanish into shadow.
Local lore even speaks of a gentle hill spirit—one of the old Uruisg—who was said to nudge weary walkers back toward the right path when darkness fell.
Scotland's mountain peaks are categorised by heights and other criteria into groups with the following colourful names: Munros, Corbetts, Grahams, Donalds, and Marilyns!
In a bit of classification whimsy, the "Marilyn" category—defined as peaks with a prominence above 150 m, regardless of height—was created by Alan Dawson in his 1992 book The Relative Hills of Britain. The name playfully contrasts with the Munro classification (mountains above 3,000 feet / 914.4 m), being homophonous with iconic actress Marilyn Monroe. Enough said!
As of October 2018, there were 2,011 Marilyns in the British Isles, with 1,219 found in Scotland. These include 202 of the 282 Scottish Munros; Munros with Marilyn-level prominence are sometimes called “Real Munros.” 🖤 🖤 🖤 ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ⛰️ ⛰️ ⛰️
December 11th, Mountain Day, is observed every year to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.
The Black Mount is a mountain range located in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, situated between Glen Orchy and Glen Coe. Its four Munros (mountains with a height over 3000 ft) include Stob Ghabha "Goat's Peak", Stob a' Choire Odhair "Peak of the Dun colored Corrie", Creise (possibly meaning "grease" or "fat" referring to the rich grazing land for fattening cattle), and Meall a' Bhuiridh "Hill of the Roaring".
The mountain-inspired tartan is unusual for the combination of two shades of black which form a tartan pattern by a special weaving technique.
The photograph, "Glencoe Starscape," features the snow capped Black Mount mountain range. Recognizable stars in this image include Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky (at the bottom left) and the constellation of Orion, including the Orion nebula.
For more spectacular photographs of the Scottish skyscape and landscape by photographer Grant Glendinning, click the photo.