Baca Ruadh

Situated in the quieter heart of northern Skye, this rounded moorland summit offers a rugged alternative to the crowded Trotternish Escarpment. The terrain is characteristically peaty and demanding, but rewarded by clear sightings of the Outer Hebrides over the Minch and the jagged spine of the Storr to the south.

• •The name translates from Gaelic as the 'Red Bank' or 'Russet Ridge', a reference to the distinctive colour of the grasses and mosses that cover its slopes, which turn a deep orange-brown during the winter months.
• •While many visitors flock to the nearby Old Man of Storr, this hill provides a much lonelier experience, often climbed as a detour from the long-distance Skye Trail which passes through the glens to the west.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point to view the basaltic ramparts of Beinn Edra and the distant mountains of Harris and North Uist across the North Minch.
• •For those who find Skye's famous Cuillin ridges a bit too vertical, this hill offers the chance to test one's navigational skills against the island's other great challenge: the unpredictable, labyrinthine peat hag.