Scotland
An Torc
739M
2425FT
About An Torc
Overlooking the dramatic Pass of Drumochter, this prominent Tump is better known to travellers as the Boar of Badenoch. Its steep, heathery flanks rise sharply above the A9 south of Newtonmore, offering a short, strenuous ascent with rewarding views across to the Sow of Atholl and the massive Geal-chàrn.
Key Statistics
Rank
50th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Lochaber
Prominence
?
84m
Nearest Town
Highland
Geology
You are walking across the Gaick Psammite Formation. This is a durable, compressed sandstone that creates the rugged and sturdy foundation of An Torc.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NN621763
Latitude
56.8576°N
Longitude
4.2632°W
Did You Know?
- •The name An Torc is Scottish Gaelic for 'The Boar'. It is most commonly referred to by its English title, the Boar of Badenoch, describing its hulking, bristly appearance when viewed from the north.
- •Standing at 739m, the hill forms one half of a famous geographical pair; it sits directly across the pass from the Sow of Atholl (Meall an Dobharchain).
- •The summit provides a unique perspective of the Highland Main Line railway as it reaches its highest point at the Drumochter Summit, the highest railway pass in the UK.
- •While frequently passed by thousands of motorists daily, the hill is most often climbed as a quick addition to the neighbouring 912m Munro, A’ Mharconaich, which lies immediately to the west.
- •It is perhaps the only hill in the Highlands where the struggle for breath on the steep ascent is accompanied by the constant, rhythmic hum of heavy goods vehicles laboring up the A9 below.