Liathach

The Ridge of Liathach

Looking up from Glen Torridon, Liathach certainly looks dramatic. It appears impregnably steep and rocky, just faces and buttresses of red sandstone. It is hard not to be impressed by the beauty and fun of being on Liathach which might be why a lot of walkers regard it as their favourite hills. Along with An Teallach it is undisputedly one of the best and technically more challenging ridge traverses in mainland Scotland.

The ridge between the two Munros of Spidean a’ Choire Leith (1055m) and Mullach an Rathain (1023m) is made up of a series of sandstone towers and pinnacles referred to as the Am Fasarinen Pinnacles. A traverse of Liathach is all about negotiating the crest of this ridge taking the chance to experience some lovely scrambling and keeping off the ‘goat path’ on the south side.

As well as two Munro summits, Liathach has four tops. Three are straightforward to reach but Meall Dearg (955m) is considered one of the most difficult of all Tops. Certainly a ‘Greater Traverse’ of Liathach that includes Meall Dearg and the Northern Pinnacles is only for extremely fit and well experienced scramblers.