When it all stacks up
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IN early August 2005, Labour politician Robin Cook and his wife Gaynor were on holiday in the Highlands. On the afternoon of August 6, while walking down Ben Stack in Sutherland, Cook suffered a heart attack and fell.
He was taken by helicopter to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness but pronounced dead minutes after arrival.
Cook, the MP for Livingston in West Lothian, had been a severe critic of the Iraq war.
Conspiracy theorists, including Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, have claimed Cook was the victim of an intelligence-led conspiracy, in much the same way some believe the scientist Dr David Kelly was also murdered.
That piece of history led me to park off the A838 near Lochstack Lodge to climb Ben Stack. I’d been up Arkle on the opposite side of Loch Stack the day before, and this was an easier option before the long drive back to Inverness.
Ben Stack may only be 720 metres high but it’s an imposing Graham with a very steep north face rising above the road, a few kilometres south of Laxford Bridge.
The broad south-east ridge is the easiest way up, but much more interesting is the north-west approach, which is shorter but steeper. Linking the two, it’s possible to do a traverse, though you’ll need transport – maybe a bike – at the other end if you want to avoid a 4km road walk.
For a longer day, another option would be to walk back on the path through Strath Stack from Achfary.
I set off along that same well-made track opposite Lochstack Lodge. It runs south-west and is signed to Achfary via Strath Stack.
It climbs up to Loch na Seilge and crosses a gushing burn feeding the loch. Just after the burn a path appears on the left, heading directly towards Ben Stack. It ends quite soon and I took to the soggy ground beyond, the lower part of the hill now in full view, rising above.
No defined path is shown on the Landranger map, but one does exist, leading all the way to the top, which is hidden from this angle. Don’t be tempted, as I was initially, to make for the grassy rakes further right, weaving among rocks on the lower slopes. Instead stay left, even though it looks implausible, and follow the path that winds up through minor outcrops.
The view across Loch Stack to Arkle is impressive, with the north face of Ben Stack dropping sheer to the road below. Once on top, an airy little ridge leads to a mobile phone mast. The trig point is just beyond it, from where a brilliant view opens up across Loch More, with the A838 alongside heading for Lairg.
I lingered for a while before retracing my steps along the narrow ridge. I could see the roof of the car almost directly below, emphasising just how steep the north side of Ben Stack is. Three more people appeared and we exchanged pleasantries before I continued on my way down, back the same way to the roadside.
