Liathach

Tuesday 9th June 2009

On the previous day to this walk I travelled from Glen Shiel to Kyle of Lochalsh where the wonderful Isle of Skye lay tantalisingly nearby just over the straits, but sadly that wasn't to be my objective on this occasion. Instead I took a train away from Kyle, waving a sad goodbye to Skye and got off at Strathcarron where I caught a minibus over the hills to the stunning mountains of Torridon. I had never been to this area before, but I had heard the mountains in this area described as being the finest in Britain, and after this walk I was inclined to agree that they are certainly among the best. I spent the afternoon, once I had got to Torridon, wandering around the valley staring up in wonder at the enormous mountains that towered steeply around me. A route up any of these giants seemed impossible, but a look in my guide books revealed otherwise. The greatest mountain in Torridon, and the one that overlooks the village, is Liathach, so that would be my first objective.

First thing in the morning I set off along the road up Glen Torridon to a lay-by just beyond Glen Cottage where a path ascends the steep hillside beside the burn, Allt an Doire Ghairbh. This is a good, well-constructed path that blends in with the surroundings as it weaves steeply up the hillside into Coire Liath Mhór. I was enjoying myself tremendously as I climbed steeply up the hillside as I thought: "I'm doing exactly what I love." There is nothing better that I could be doing during my holiday. Eventually I reached the top of the ridge and panicked when I saw the ridge that I was standing on as it was truly terrifying. Not only was the ridge very narrow but the sides were exceptionally steep and the ridge undulated severely. This is not the place for anyone who doesn't have a head for heights, I was petrified. Before heading towards the Munro I turned right along the ridge making my way to the very end of the ridge on Stuc a’ Choire Dhuibh Bhig. There I had fantastic views across to the neighbouring mountain of Beinn Eighe, an awesome mountain that I sadly was not able to walk up on this holiday as it was too far away from the Youth Hostel for me to get to, which is a great shame.

Turning around I returned to the top of the ascent path and continued along the terrifying ridge. The terrain underfoot was all rock, but it was very high, narrow and very tricky with many tops to negotiate. I'm not great with heights so this was a rather nerve-racking crossing for me. I gingerly made my way over Stob Coire Liath Mhor and up the steep stony slope to the top of the Munro, Spidean a’ Choire Léith, the highest point on Liathach. The views along the ridge from the top over to Beinn Eighe were fantastic but the summit is very small with steep sides all around and is made up of loose boulders which made me nervous all the time I was up there. It wasn't long before I was making my way down the steep stony slope off the Munro, but this was just as terrifying as it was very steep. I was gingerly making my way down large stones with a seemingly endless drop to the valley floor below should I lose my footing.

Eventually to my great relief I reached the bottom of the stones and the continuation of the ridge led me over a small grassy top where I decided to have my lunch. After eating I tackled ‘The Pinnacles,’ the prospect of which had been terrifying me for months but as it turned out there is an easy path that skirts around the pinnacles and avoids all the difficulties. A direct climb over the top of the pinnacles wouldn’t have been too difficult for me so long as they hadn’t been so high off the ground. The sight of the valley floor three thousand feet below was unnerving enough for me from the bypassing path. Despite or because of the great height I actually loved that path; it is wonderful as it clings perilously high up the hillside on a narrow ledge and is just the sort of path I love. Although it’s scarily high, I didn’t feel as though there was a chance that I'd fall as I was always on solid ground on a secure path. After all my fears beforehand, the Pinnacles were a delight and it was the Munro itself that was the most scary part of the mountain.

Beyond the pinnacles the ridge widens and was now grassy on one side, though still with sheer cliffs on the north side. All the difficulties were behind me now and I was able to enjoy myself as I climbed over a number of tops up to the second Munro of Liathach, Mullach an Rathain. This was a fabulous end to a great and terrifying mountain and was an apt reward for all that I had endured. Descending along the southern ridge I reached a viewpoint that overlooks the village of Torridon, almost straight down, far below me. The sea was a deep blue and Skye could be seen glimmering in the distance; the view was incredible and all that now only remained for me was a steep descent into the sandy corrie of Toll Ban and along a good path beside the burn, Allt an Tuill Bhain until eventually I reached the road at the bottom. This was an absolutely fabulous walk over a terrifying, but ultimately hugely rewarding mountain. There is so much to this mountain; it’s so big and expansive that different parts offer different thrills and rewards; it’s literally awesome.