MacLeods Tables

Duirinish peninsula, Isle of Skye
The 2 flat topped hills are collectively known as MacLeods Tables.
Healabhal Mhor (left) & Healabhal Bheag, Despite the fact that Mhor is Gaelic for big and Bheag = small, Healabhal Bheag is actually the higher of the two.

According to legend, the flat summits were created after the visit of Saint Columba to the island. He was not well received by the Chief, who at this time lived in a Dun on the shores of Loch Bracadale, and was refused any hospitality.

St. Columba was invited to preach a sermon in the local church and chose as his theme: "The rabbits have their warrens, the birds have their nests but the messenger of the Lord has nowhere to lay his head".

During the sermon, the skies blackened and the ground shook, culminating in an almighty crash. On leaving the church, the congregation discovered that the tops of the two local mountains had been struck off, creating a bed for St. Columba to sleep on and a table for him to dine at....

.... Or, they are the remains of the Lava flow that formed a lot of this part of the Isle of Skye during the tertiary period.