Liathach - Spidean a' Choire Leith

About Liathach - Spidean a' Choire Leith

Rising abruptly from the Torridon glen, this is the highest point of Scotland’s most formidable mountain mass. Its tiered sandstone terraces and quartzite-capped peaks create a fortress-like appearance. As a Munro, it offers a truly alpine atmosphere, demanding respect for its steep, rocky terrain and peerless views across the North West Highlands.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Liathach comes from the Scottish Gaelic for 'the hoary place', a reference to the pale, frost-like appearance of the quartzite rock that caps the mountain's upper layers. Spidean a' Choire Leith specifically translates as 'Peak of the Grey Corrie', describing the stony bowl that sits directly beneath the summit.
• •The mountain showcases a classic geological sandwich of the North West Highlands. Its massive, tiered base is composed of Precambrian Torridonian sandstone—some of the oldest rock in Europe—topped with a contrasting crust of white Cambrian quartzite.
• •While the peak is a Munro in its own right, it is almost always tackled as part of the full Liathach traverse. This involves navigating the Am Fasarinen pinnacles, a series of rocky teeth that provide some of the most celebrated Grade 2 scrambling in the UK.
• •From the summit, the view to the east is dominated by the sprawling quartzite screes of Beinn Eighe, while to the west, the triple peaks of Beinn Alligin rise above the sea. On a clear day, the vista extends across the Minch to the jagged skyline of the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye.
• •For those unnerved by the ridge's exposure, a 'bypass path' exists to avoid the crest of the pinnacles. However, it is so eroded, narrow, and precariously balanced over steep drops that many walkers find themselves wishing they had simply stayed on the rocks instead.