Creag Ruadh

Rising above the remote glens of Diebidale and Calvie in the North Highlands, this heathery Tump offers a quiet, pathless ascent. Reaching its 669-metre summit requires a long approach from the east, rewarding hikers with expansive, solitary views across the rugged, empty moors and deer forests of Sutherland and Easter Ross.

• •The name Creag Ruadh is Scottish Gaelic for 'Red Crag.' This likely refers to the reddish tint of the local rock or the seasonal colour of the surrounding vegetation on its rocky flanks.
• •The hill sits on the edge of the Kildermorie Estate, an area characterized by its vast deer forests and historical connections to the 19th-century sheep farming transitions in the Highlands.
• •Hikers standing at the 669-metre summit are treated to a clear perspective of the neighboring Beinn Tharsuinn to the south and the sprawling, whale-backed ridge of Ben Wyvis further to the southeast.
• •Reaching the base of the hill usually involves a lengthy trek or cycle along the estate roads of Glen Calvie, passing near the historic Croick Church, famous for its connections to the Highland Clearances.
• •With dozens of hills sharing the name Creag Ruadh across Scotland, your biggest navigational hazard isn't the heather—it's accidentally following a route description for a hill three glens away.