Liathach, 1054m
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Date: 11/7/1997 |
Tops and Munros |
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Companions: alone |
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Distance: 9km | |
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Climbing: 1400m | |
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Time: 7hrs 15mins | |
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Weather: hot and sunny, becoming hazy then overcast later | |
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Munro Tally: M75-76, T124-128 | |
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One of the best! Set out from campsite at Gairloch on a glorious morning, and arrived at the car park in Glen Torridon at 9.30am. Blue sky overhead, so I soon had sweat pouring down my back as I climbed steeply up from the road on to the south side of Liathach. The National Trust have done a wonderful job of rebuilding the path - using the local stones and boulders to build a stone staircase that leads 2/3 of the way up the steep slopes of Toll A' Meitheach. In just under 2 hours, I reached the ridge and turned right to reach the top of Stuc a'Choire Dhuibh Bhig at the eastern end of the mountain - a superb viewpoint north and east to Beinn Eighe, and west along the main ridge of Liathach. I met up with 2 Welshmen, who proved to be good company as we progressed along the ridge together. A fine airy scramble along the switchback ridge, passing over the second top, Stob a' Coire Liath Mhor, then up the rough bouldery cone of the main summit, Spidean a' Choire Leith. After a pause here for lunch (1.15pm), I continued down to the start of the Fasarinen pinnacles, with spectacular drops into Coire na Caime to the north. We scrambled over most of the pinnacles, and by-passed the trickier bits using the path on the south side. Beyond Am Fasarinen, the hairiest bits were past,a nd the ridge broadened as it led up to the second Munro, Mullach an Rathain. It was now around 2.45pm, and far too early to leave such a spectacular spot, so I found a comfortable viewpoint a few metres down the north ridge. I decided that the northern pinnacles, and their top Meall Dearg, were beyond my capabilities, so instead I lay in the sun and gloried in the location! Eventually, I decided it was time to descend, and followed the path, firstly down steep scree, then down rock and grass slopes to the west of Allt and Tuill Bhan, to reach the road a couple of miles west of the starting point. | |
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Liathach The classic view of Liathach from the road in Glen Torridon, a couple of miles east of the start of the walk. The central peak is Spidean a' Choire Leith, with Stuc a' Choire Dhuibh Bhig on the right. The quartzite top of the main peak contrasts with the sandstone bands characterising the lower slopes.
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Liathach Looking west from Stuc a' Choire Dhuibh Bhig over Stob a' Coire Liath Mhor to the quartzite cone of Spidean a' Choire Leith. |
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Liathach Looking back along the Fasarinen pinnacles to Spidean a'Choire Leith from my perch on the north ridge of Mullach an Rathain. | ||||
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To see an OS 1:50000 map of this mountain, click here
To see a road map of the area around this mountain, click here | |||
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Comments or questions? david@dbethune.com |
