Walking in Scotland's Far North. Andy Walmsley

      Andy Walmsley was born in Preston, Lancashire, in 1959. From an early age mountains and wild places held a fascination for him, and early trips to Scotland began a deep affection for the unique landscapes of the Highlands.

      Throughout his teens, Andy was active in various outdoor and physical activities, including cycling, caving and fellwalking, and during this time he made his first trip to the far north of Scotland, climbing Spidean Coinnich (Quinag) at the age of 14. He resolved to explore the area more fully as soon as the opportunity presented itself, and this book is the result of all his explorations from 1974 until 2002.

      Despite a serious motorcycle accident in 1981, in which he lost his right arm, Andy remains an active mountain-goer. He took up the arduous sport of fell-running in 1985 and still competes in mountain events all over the British isles.

      During the late 1980s he spent time exploring the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains, writing a guide which was published by Cicerone in 1993, and during this time he set a record of 15 hours and 5 minutes for the traverse of all the Sierra Nevada's 3000m peaks – the Integral de Los Tres Mil – which still stands today.

      © A. Walmsley 2003

      Reprinted 2004, 2009, 2017

      ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 377 9

      ISBN-10: 1 85284 377 2

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore.

      Photographs by Harry Walmsley, unless otherwise credited.

      Maps based on Ordnance Survey® material, licence number PU100012932

      Acknowledgements

      I must give special thanks to all the people who have assisted me with this project, either with advice, comment, and practical help or by accompanying me on the various outings. These include my daughter Andria, who braved the rain and snow to keep Dad company on more than one occasion. Tim Kelly, who drew the excellent maps used in the book, provided some photos and came along on a couple of trips to ensure that we covered the routes in double-quick time. Ian Roberts, who provided his inimitable insight into the area, sussed out a couple of routes which I wouldn’t have thought of, and also took some photos. Last but not least, my uncle, Harry Walmsley, who provided the majority of the photos used in the book, which are of a much higher standard than any I could have taken.

      Updates to this Guide

      While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/377/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.

      Front cover: Loch Lurgainn and Cul Beag from Stack Polly

      CONTENTS

       Overview Map

       Map Key

       Preface

       Introduction

       Topography

       Climate

       Plants, Birds and Animals

       Bases

       Getting There

       Roads within the Area

       Using the Guide

       Maps

       Essential Equipment

       Mountain Bikes

       Gaelic and Norse Place-names

       Assynt and Coigach

       Ben Mor Coigach, 743m (2438ft)

       Route 1 Ascent of Ben Mor Coigach from Acheninver youth hostel

       Route 2 Ascent of Ben Mor Coigach from the Achiltibuie road

       Cul Beag, 769m (2523ft)

       Route 3 Ascent of Cul Beag from Drumrunie

       Route 4 Ascent of Cul Beag from Linneraineach

       Route 5 Cul Beag to Stac Pollaidh link route

       Stac Pollaidh (Stack Polly), 613m (2011ft)

       Route 6 Ascent to Stac Pollaidh's main col from Loch Lurgainn

       Route 7 Traverse of Stac Pollaidh's summit ridge

       Cul Mor, 849m (2785ft)

       Route 8 Ascent of Cul Mor from Knockanrock

       Route 9 Ascent of Cul Mor from the A835 via An Laogh

       Route 10 Ascent of Cul Mor from Linneraineach via south-west face

       Route 11 Cul Mor to Cul Beag link route

       Suilven, 731m (2398ft)

       Route 12 Suilven approach from Elphin

       Route 13 Suilven approach from Lochinver

       Route 14 Suilven ascent from the north-east

       Route 15 Suilven ascent from Inverkirkaig

       Route 16 Suilven approach from Little Assynt

       Route 17 Traverse of the Suilven summit ridge

       Canisp, 846m (2776ft)

       Route 18 Canisp ascent from Little Assynt

       Route 19 Canisp ascent from Loch Awe

       Route 20 Canisp to Suilven link route

       Breabag, 800m (2625ft)