Creag na Doire Duibhe

Tucked away near Laggan, this rugged Marilyn provides a quiet alternative to the busier Creag Meagaidh massif. Its heathery, pathless slopes require effort, but the reward is a clear vista across the Ardverikie Forest and the winding River Pattack, far from the established trails of the higher peaks.

• •The name is Gaelic, translating as 'Crag of the Dark Thicket.' A 'doire' usually refers to a small grove or wood, often of oak or birch, suggesting the lower slopes were historically more heavily forested than the open moorland seen today.
• •From the summit cairn, the view west is dominated by the massive cliffs of Coire Ardair on Creag Meagaidh and the distinctive twin peaks of Binnein Shuas and Binnein Shios rising above Loch Laggan.
• •It is often climbed in tandem with its neighbour, Creag Dubh, as part of a circuit starting from the quiet tracks near Drumgask and the Pattack Falls.
• •The hill offers the perfect excuse to avoid the crowds of the nearby Munros, provided you do not mind a level of pathless heather-bashing that would make even a seasoned hill pony think twice.