Five mighty Munros to walk or admire
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Carn Eighe, Glen Affric
North of the Great Glen, you can’t get any higher than this – with your feet on the ground. Carn Eighe is 1183m high and marks the end of a fine ridge that stretches out above Gleann nam Fiadh, extending from the Munros of Toll Creagach and Tom a’ Choinich to the east. It is usually climbed along with its near neighbour Mam Sodhail and, especially for Munro baggers, the outlier of Beinn Fhionnlaidh.
A’ Mhaighdean, Fisherfield, Wester Ross
Part of the classic ‘Fisherfield six’ round of five Munros and one Corbett, A’ Mhaighdean – Gaelic for the Maiden – is said to have one of the finest viewpoints in Britain. The 967m summit sits among what is often referred to as Scotland’s “last great wilderness” and looks out over a vast expanse of sea, lochs and mountain tops in Wester Ross.
Ben Hope, Sutherland
Ben Hope has the claim of being the most northerly of the Munros, rising steeply from the surrounding moors of Sutherland. Its summit is 927m high and, due to its northerly location, on the summer solstice it is said that the sun never sets from here. The usual route of ascent is from Strathmore, where a short steep route heads to the isolated trig point.
Ben Macdui, Cairngorms
Ben Macdui is the second highest mountain in the UK but the climb isn’t as arduous as Ben Nevis thanks to the ski centre car park at 600m above sea level. A trek to the 1309m summit still deserves respect though, and can be difficult to navigate over the plateau in the all-too-common low cloud. The summit and passes of the mountain are said to be haunted by Am Fear Liath Mor – the Big Grey Man of Macdui – and stories of mysterious footsteps heard in the mist abound, including naturalist and mountaineer Alexander Tewnion, who claimed to have fired his revolver at the ghostly figure in 1943 before fleeing to Glen Derry.
Ladhar Bheinn, Knoydart
This magnificent mountain lies on the remote Knoydart peninsula, accessible only by boat or via a long walk in, usually from Kinlochhourn. Its well-defined summit ridge leads over dramatic crags that drop steeply into Coire Dhorrcail – part of the John Muir Trust’s land – offering views over the sea to Skye and over an expanse of wild mountain country. Walkers can make a circuit of this coire from Barrisdale to the 1020m summit or take the longer approach from Inverie.
