Ben Macdui is the highest peak of the Cairngorms at 4296 feet and the second highest in Scotland. It’s also the home of a mysterious cryptid known in Gaelic as Am Fear Liath Mor, the Grey Man.
Eye witness accounts of the Grey Man throughout Scotland and Europe date back to the 13th century when the creature was known as the Wudewas or ‘Wood Men’. Those who’ve encountered the Grey Man describe the creature as very tall and covered with short hair which has drawn some to conclude it is connected somehow to the Yeti of the Himalayas and the Sasquatch of North America.
While hardly a surprise, this particular cryptid seems to enjoy taunting and creating a feeling of terror amongst those unlucky enough to encounter it. One of the best accounts comes from an organic chemist at University College London and noted climber, J. Norman Collie. In 1925, Collie recounted a memory from 35 years before when he had climbed the mountain and had started to hear something more than just his own footsteps. For each step he took, there was a crunch in the snow, and seconds later, another crunch behind him. He described the step pattern as if someone was walking behind him but taking steps three or four times the length of his. The mountaintop was obscured by mist so he could not see his pursuer but the feeling of fear and panic grew in him until he started to run, ultimately colliding with a boulder after miles of mindless flight.
Another famous mountaineer, Dr. Henry Kellas, was said to have encountered the Grey Man in 1903 when on the mountain with his brother. Unfortunately, when Professor Collie’s report came out, Dr. Kellas had already passed away on a 1921 Mount Everest Expedition.
Mountaineer Alexander Tewnion wrote an account of his encounter with the creature in 1943 when he actually shot at it with a revolver. He had been climbing Ben Macdui along the Coire Etchahcan path when a mist came around him and he heard footsteps. A strange figure appeared in the mist and began running at him so he pulled out his revolver and fired three times. Tewnion didn’t wait around to find out what happened; he ran to Glen Derry in a time he described as ‘never having bettered since!’
A more recent sighting was recounted in the book 100 Strangest Unexplained Mysteries by Matt Lamy, where he had been told the tale of three men travelling near Aberdeen in the early 1990’s. They had seen a bipedal creature with an inhuman, terrifying face. Several weeks later, on the same road, the creature paced alongside their car, even though they were travelling at 45 mph. They were badly frightened and had the impression the creature was trying to get into their car.
There are various theories that have been put forward to explain away the Grey Man stories but none of them cover all the aspects. One such theory is that the creature is a result of undefined properties of the mountain itself that causes a psychic hallucination. Another is the so-called Brocken Spectre effect, where a person’s shadow is cast onto mist in the sunlight and creates an eerie optical illusion. However, none of these explain the reaction of seasoned mountaineers who, by nature, are not prone to panic or would not live long enough to become seasoned. It also doesn’t explain the men on the nearby road and the strange creature they witnessed running right beside their car. These things can only be explained by a real creature, or group of creatures, living secretly in the mists of the mountain.