Beinn Alligin - Sgurr Mor

About Beinn Alligin - Sgurr Mor

Rising above Torridon as the highest point of the Beinn Alligin massif, this Munro is defined by its steep sandstone terraces. The ascent reveals the staggering Eag Dhubh rockslide before reaching a summit that looks directly across to the serrated ridges of Liathach and the remote wilderness of Fisherfield.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Beinn Alligin is derived from the Gaelic 'Beinn Àilleagan,' meaning the 'Jewelled Hill.' This likely refers to the way the mountain’s terraced Torridonian sandstone cliffs glisten when wet or under specific light. Sgùrr Mòr simply translates as the 'Big Peak,' distinguishing it from its lower Munro neighbour, Tom na Gruagaich.
• •The mountain’s most striking feature is the Eag Dhubh (Black Gash), a massive cleft on the southern side of the summit ridge. This is the scar of a colossal rock avalanche that occurred roughly 3,750 years ago, depositing over three million cubic metres of debris into the corrie of Toll a' Mhadaidh Mòr below.
• •Walkers typically reach this summit as part of the classic Alligin traverse, which includes the three 'Horns of Alligin' (Na h-Oighreagan). These are a series of tapered sandstone towers that provide exhilarating, though avoidable, Grade 1 scrambling for those heading toward or from the village of Torridon.
• •From the 986m summit, you are treated to a quintessential Torridon vista: the massive, fortress-like bulk of Liathach sits to the east, while to the north, the remote 'Great Wilderness' of Fisherfield and Letterewe stretches toward the jagged skyline of An Teallach.
• •Local folklore once claimed the 'Black Gash of the Wailing' was haunted by voices luring shepherds to their deaths; these days, the only audible suffering is usually the sound of hikers negotiating the relentless, knee-crunching stone staircases on the descent.
• •The peak and surrounding estate have been under the care of the National Trust for Scotland since 1967, ensuring the preservation of its unique Torridonian geology and alpine-arctic flora.