SPRING 201227?PLACESWWW.NTS.ORG.UKextremesGoing to You may feel you've seen a goodnumber of Trust properties - buthave you taken this as far as youcan? See which of these you haveyet to enjoy, suggests Don CurrieBIZARRESTThe PineappleThis tower near Stirling, the Trust's only fruit-shapedstructure, is a wonder, with its curly stone leaves andmagnificent topping. The Pineapple itself is 45ft talland stands on a Palladian pavilion. John Murray, the4th Earl of Dunmore, built it in 1761, as a gardenretreat and a symbol of wealth. This eccentrictreasure brings a smile to visitors' faces but there ismuch else to admire at the property, with itsorchard, woodland walks and pond.HIGHESTBen MacduiThe summit of this renowned mountain in theCairngorms is the highest point on Trust land, at1,309 metres, or 4,295 feet. Ben Macdui is part ofthe vast Mar Lodge estate, and has much tocommend it - wildlife, interesting plants, scenery,history and even the mysterious Big Grey Man. Golden eagles breed after years of conservationwork by Trust staff and volunteers, and alpine plantsfound in no other region of Britain flourish here. The Big Grey Man has been reported many times,and has been compared to the Yeti of the Himalayas.There have been few sightings, and these may havebeen meteorological effects in which a shadow ofthe witness is cast on to cloud. But many walkershave reported alarming sounds or a "presence". In 1925 John Norman Collie gave a description ofhis encounter. He said: "I was returning from thecairn on the summit in a mist when I began to thinkI heard something else than merely the noise of myown footsteps. Every few steps I took I heard aFrom left: sheer follyat The Pineapple; agolden eagle at MarLodge Estate, whichincludes Ben Macdui;the unassuming CaiyStane in Edinburgh