Scotland's Best Small Mountains. Kirstie Shirra
and facilities in rural areas, rather than just turning up to do a walk and leaving again, also helps the local economy, so you can feel good about yourself while drinking that pint!
SUTHERLAND AND THE FAR NORTH
Suilven and Loch Druim Suardalain
1
Ben Loyal (765m) in Gaelic Beinn Laghail, probably ‘the law mountain’, from the Norse ‘laga fiall’
| Start | GR 584 546 |
| Distance | 14km |
| Ascent | 820m |
| Time | 5hr30 |
| Terrain | A good walk in on tracks gives way to grassy slopes that are less challenging or steep than the rocky peaks of Ben Loyal might suggest. |
| Maps | OS Landranger 10, OS Explorer 447 |
| Access | Ben Loyal forms part of the Ben Loyal Estate (01847 611291) |
| Getting there | Start at the turning to Ribigill Farm off the minor road around the Kyle of Tongue (584 546). There is parking for a couple of cars. You could walk to here from Tongue. There is a daily bus from Thurso to Tongue (Traveline Scotland 0871 200 22 33 www.travelinescotland.com). |
| Something else | Take a walk on the stunning sands of the Kyle of Tongue, or visit the ruins of Varrich Castle, once home to the MacKay clan chiefs. |
A royal hill in Scotland’s far north, Ben Loyal is renowned for its queens, castles and treasure. Climbing far above the Kyle of Tongue, this route gives you an opportunity to conquer your own castle, and gaze out to where the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Ben Loyal is known to many as ‘the queen of Scottish mountains’, although it’s not clear why, as the name doesn’t seem to have royal connotations. But ‘queen’ or not, Ben Loyal does have an impressive castle.
The granite tower of An Caisteal, ‘the castle’, is Ben Loyal’s highest top, at 765m. It is just one of the five rocky tops that crown the ridge, causing it to be described as castellated. From each of these tops you gain fantastic panoramic views over the surrounding countryside, composed as it is of vast swathes of wild land and water. The shifting white sands of the Kyle of Tongue in particular are a sight to be seen.
Ben Loyal across the Kyle of Tongue
In the middle of the Kyle you can see the Rabbit Islands, so named because rabbits were introduced to them in the 1700s to provide meat for the local laird. You also look down to small Lochan Harkel. Not that notable in its appearance, it does hold an extraordinary story and, perhaps, treasure!
In 1746, the Hazard, a Jacobite ship carrying over £13,000 in gold coins to fund Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion, hid in the Kyle of Tongue, hoping to evade capture by HMS Sheerness, a navy frigate. The Hazard’s crew took the coins ashore with a plan to deliver them by land, but the crew were attacked and threw the coins into Lochan Hakel. Bonnie Prince Charlie sent 1500 men to retrieve the money, but they were defeated en route, and it is thought that the government recovered most of the coins. If the 1500 men had fought at the Battle of Culloden instead, they might have prevented the Jacobites’ defeat.
Route
From the start, follow the road to Ribigill farm, going left where it divides to pass between the farm buildings. Continue along the track from here, which runs between the fields heading towards Ben Loyal. Ignore a fork off to the right to head left and across a small ford. This track takes you across level boggy ground towards the ruined farm of Cunside.
Cross the Allt Lon Malmsgaig (580 515) to the same side as Cunside, but then leave the track to take a small path heading south-southeast towards the Bealach Clais nan Ceap. This climbs up the right-hand side of a small burn.
Leave the path before you reach the bealach to climb steeply southwest up the side of Sgor Chaonasaid at the end of the Ben Loyal ridge, gaining the summit of Sgor Chaonasaid (712m) from the south. From here there are fantastic views of the ever-changing sand banks in the Kyle of Tongue.
Follow the grassy ridge from Sgor Chaonasaid to pass over Sgor a’Bhatain (708m) and come to the rocky summit of An Caisteal. This seemingly impenetrable mass of rock is in fact easily gained by heading to its west side from where a small path takes you to the summit (765m) (578 488, 7.5km, 3hr). All other routes would involve a serious rock climb. From its elevated position, this rocky castle offers brilliant 360° views.
Looking down on the Kyle of Tongue
To return, retrace your steps to the shoulder between An Caisteal and Sgor a’Bhatain, then head east down gentle slopes towards Loch na Creige Riabhaich. Just north of the loch you can pick up a path that runs north-northeast across the broad plateau, then zigzags down more steeply to rejoin the original path into the Bealach Clais nan Ceap. Follow this to return to the start via the outward route (14km, 5hr30).
Alternatives
A Full Traverse of the Ridge
For a full traverse, return to the west side of the summit of An Caisteal, then go south along the ridge to Beinn Bheag (744m). Carry on south taking you down then back up to the top of Carn an Tionail (716m), the last top of the ridge. From here, head west down grass and heather slopes to come to the top of a gully. Follow the gully down to meet the Allt Fhionnaich and head down its left bank, crossing it before it enters a steeper gorge (564 476). Head north then northwest around Sgor Fhionnaich before following a second burn steeply down through the birch forest to level ground below. Continue northwest across rough grassland to rejoin the path just before Cunside (20km, 960m, shown in blue).
2
Quinag (808m) from the Gaelic cuinneag, meaning ‘milking pail’
| Start | GR 232 273 |
| Distance | 13km |
| Ascent | 1200m |
| Time | 5hr30 |
| Terrain | This is a long, challenging route across rocky, narrow ridges, with some exposure and a lot of ups and downs. |
| Maps | OS Landranger 15, OS Explorer 442 |
| Access | Quinag is owned by the John Muir Trust and there are no access restrictions. Contact the JMT on 0131 554 0114 or visit www.jmt.org. |
| Getting there | Start at the car park on the A837 (232 273). There are buses during the summer from Inverness to Skiag Bridge at the junction of the A837 and the A894 (Traveline Scotland 0871 200 22 33, www.travelinescotland.com). |
| Something else | Take a walk around the ruins of Ardvreck Castle or visit the Bone Caves at nearby Inchnadamph, where human remains dating back 4500 years were found. |
Five tops, stunning scenery, several ridge walks and sea views make this an absolute epic, one of the best mountains in one of the wildest parts of Scotland.
More of a massif than a single mountain, Quinag has five tops, three of them Corbetts (if you are counting). Its huge Y-shaped form dominates north Assynt, stretching from Loch Assynt at the foot of its southern slopes, to the village of Kylesku to the north.
Loch Assynt is home to the ruins of Ardvreck Castle, standing on a peninsula jutting out into the loch. Built by the Clan MacLeod, who had owned much of Assynt since the 13th century, Ardvreck Castle is the scene of betrayal, conflict and ghosts.
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