Soapbox

I'm a graduate in Scottish history and folklore studies as well as an experienced Scottish mountaineer. I've enjoyed reading some of the posts from folks who have experienced paranormal phenomena , ghosts, apparitions and so on in the Scottish hills. It would be great to hear from anyone else who thinks they may have had similar experiences. I have a strong interest in the history and folklore of the Scottish hills and will listen seriously to anyone with a tale to tell!. No reason why tales from south of the border can't appear too!

                                     Cheers

                                                       Andy 

OK at risk of sounding like a nut job here I go ....

Not in Scotland or on a mountain for that matter, I live in North Wales just outside a small town called Llandulas, it's on the edge of Snowdonia, just in the foot hills of the Carneddau's. There is an old folk tale of a lady who was murdered by her husband in their stone cottage, the husband was very well thought of and the crime was never investigated, but to make sure his tracks were covered the husband is supposed to have demolished their cottage, which stood on top of of hill outside Llandulas. Legend has it that the old lady would stand in a white blood stained dress on the site of the cottage.

As children we used to scare each other with the story and go in search of the original site of the cottage. Years later me a mate were on a light evening run in the winter time with our head lamps on. We could see a bright light coming from over the hill side and assumed it was other walkers or runners. As we came over the hill the light was abnormally bright and not from a headlamp, I could see a vague figure of a person standing in the distance. I've never felt so scared, we both ran back the way we came so fast, we must have set a new record.

I've never believed in this stuff and not sure if my eyes were deceiving me at the time, I've always wanted go back to that moment and re-check what I thought I saw. However it was enough to chill the life out of me & my mate...... It also makes for a very good scary story to tell my children when were camping....

OK feel free to tell me I was seeing things and have a slight screw loose ... My wife does it everytime I tell the story

That's a bit out of place. I think your brother must be confused because the mountain's name is Cadair Idris, the chair of the giant Idris, in Gwynedd, North Wales. It is said that if you spend the night alone on its summit you will wake up either mad or a poet.

Of course, the myth could have been "borrowed" and applied to a Scottish mountain.

Jim Parkin wrote (see)

Is it like a brocken spectre?

That's one possible explanation.

Professor Norman Collie - 1925

Yes indeed, the Big Grey Man or Am Fear liath mor is a notorious inhabitant of Ben Macdui and Collies account is perhaps the'classic' story! There have been a few similar accounts over the years. He seems to have been keeping a low profile in recent  decades; unless anyone knows differently!?

Pronounce it 'am fer leeah more' !

                                             Andy

I've only seen a Brocken spectre once, in the central Lakes (possibly near the head of Langdale).  I could imagine it being a bit freaky.  The mist would certainly suggest that.  

As a digression, I found the wiki entry on Vic Tandy  to be interesting.

In the early 1980s Tandy was working in a research laboratory for a medical manufacturing firm, when, in his own words: "I was sweating but cold, and the feeling of depression was noticeable – but there was also something else.[6][7] It was as though something was in the room with me." Tandy then claimed to have seen a spirit emerging in his peripheral vision, but when he turned to face the figure, it vanished.[7]

He discovered the cause of the 'haunting' by accident. The next day Tandy, a keen fencer, was polishing his sword when he noticed that the blade was vibrating even when clamped in a vice.[8][9] From this Tandy stumbled upon the idea that infrasound might be present in the laboratory.[6] Further experimentation showed that the infrasound trapped in the laboratory was at its highest next to Tandy's desk, right where he had seen the ghost. The infrasound was found to have come from a newly installed extractor fan.[8][10]

Tandy went on to recreate his experience, and with the assistance of Dr. Tony Lawrence, he was able to publish his findings in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.[11] Their research led them to conclude that infrasound at or around a frequency of 19 Hz,[2][9][12] has a range of physiological effects, including feelings of fear and shivering.[6][13] Though this had been known for many years, Tandy and Lawrence were the first people to link it to ghostly sightings.[7][13]

Not much but I was stayling at the Lairg Leacach bothy in the glen between the Grey Corries and the Innes. It was winter and I was alone and there for three nights. On the second night (I think), I awoke in the very early morning (about 3am), it was pitch black outside but I was convinced that I could hear a party of people approaching the bothy from the north, chatting & laughing. Anyway, I sat up, waiting for them to appear but after enough time had passed when they should have shown up, I decided that I was deluded and went back to sleep. It always made me think of those tales involving fairy processions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_path

Don't know if they are supposed to be found in Scotland.