Young poet captivated by beauty of Lochnagar

The poet George Gordon Byron was born in London in 1788 and moved to Aberdeenshire with his mother, following his father’s death, around 1792.

The young aristocrat remained in Scotland until he was 10. On the death of his great-uncle in the same year, 1798, he inherited the title Lord Byron.

Byron’s time in Scotland obviously left an impression on him. One of his most celebrated works is Lachin y Gair, otherwise known as Dark Lochnagar. The last verse is perhaps the best known:

Years have rolled on, Lochnagar, since I left you, Years must elapse, ere I

tread you again: Nature of verdure and flowers has bereft you, Yet still are you dearer than Albion’s plain: England! thy beauties are

tame and domestic, To one who has roved on the mountains afar:

Oh! for the crags that are wild and majestic,

The steep, frowning glories of dark Lochnagar.

Lochnagar’s famous corrie and loch and, above, Lord Byron