The Saddle West Top

About The Saddle West Top

Standing as a significant subsidiary peak on Kintail’s most celebrated ridge, this high top offers a rough, rocky character. It is often traversed during the classic crossing of The Saddle, providing a rugged vantage point overlooking the deep troughs of Glen Shiel and the jagged Forcan Ridge.

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Did You Know?

• •The name originates from the Gaelic 'An Diollaid', which describes the distinctive concave profile of the high ridge between the two main summits. The West Top forms one end of this 'saddle,' separated from the main peak by a steep, boulder-strewn col.
• •From this summit, the view north is dominated by the steep, green-topped ridges of the Five Sisters of Kintail, while looking west provides a clear sightline across the Sound of Sleat to the jagged Black Cuillin on the Isle of Skye.
• •The terrain here marks a significant change in the ridge's character, acting as the gateway where the narrow, technical scrambling of the Forcan Ridge broadens out into the more expansive and windswept western plateaus.
• •Despite standing at over 3,000 feet, the West Top is frequently treated by baggers as little more than a slightly annoying rocky hummock to be stepped over on the way to the 'real' summit further east.