As I began to descend, fresh vistas began to open up: and I could see clear to distant Ben Macdui (or is it Derry Cairngorm?), capped in snow. There was a time when Ben Macdui was believed to be the highest mountain in Britain. One year for Christmas a former boss of mine, knowing I was a keen mountain-goer, gave me a reproduction of a print (undated, alas!) entitled "A Comparative View of some of the PRINCIPAL HILLS in GREAT BRITAIN". This shows Ben Nevis at 4,370 feet, and Ben Macdui ("N.B. the Highest Hill in Great Britain") at 4,570. The original print clearly post-dates the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral, as the modern St Pauls is shown as a point of comparison; and it equally clearly pre-dates the completion of the Ordnance Survey triangulation, which achieved much more accurate measurements of height. It is notable that the heights given for the coastal mountains are much more accurate than those given for the inland mountains (which isn't really surprising: as fewer triangulations are required to achieve a measurement, with the result that there is far less scope for compounding of error). However, some of the information on which it is based is completely spurious, and modern Munro-baggers are advised against rushing off to Shetland in search of the 4,000 foot Ronas Hill ...
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