Munro Bagging in the North West Highlands

People often ask me what I enjoy so much about Munro bagging. I suppose the answer can be many things, including the mental and physical health benefits, as well as the buzz when you finally reach the top of a mountain after a long hike.

But undoubtedly one of the best things is that opportunity to see parts of Scotland you would never have seen otherwise and to see it from a very different perspective to 99.9% of people because you can’t just drive there!

That’s what’s so good about travelling with Hostelling Scotland – they have hostels in all the best places for hiking to explore some of the country’s best kept secrets.

Torridon - my favourite place for hiking - is a great example of this. What is so special about Torridon? The Munros there are just so different to anywhere else in Scotland. And that’s understandable given the age of the rock - they are among the oldest in the world, even older than the Himalayas and Everest! Some of the rock formations are unique and a real contrast to the far hillier and grassier mountains found in other parts of Scotland. At first glance they look like they would be more at home in the likes of Peru than the British Isles.

They really are a must for hiking; it will be unlike anything you’ve experienced before in Scotland.

Torridon boasts six Munro peaks across three mountain ridges - Beinn Alligin, Beinn Eighe and of course the rock fortress of Liathach - providing some of the best mountaineering days in all of the UK. Liathach in particular is an incredible and truly exhilirating scrambling experience and is justifiably thought to be country’s finest mountain alongside An Teallach.

My personal favourite in Torridon though is Beinn Alligin (the name derives from the Scottish Gaelic for ‘beautiful’ or ‘jewelled’ mountain) which provides a circular shaped circuit walk around the whole ridge including the optional three Horns (pinnacles) of Alligin with incredible views the whole way. The circuit can be approached in both directions but I’d definitely recommend starting from the car park and going west of the river - the moment you reach the trig point at the top of the first Munro, Tom na Gruagaich, will be a moment you’ll always remember. If it was done the other way round it wouldn’t have quite the same impact.

A short distance north from Torridon there’s another brilliant day out in the hills in the form of one of Scotland’s most iconic mountains, Slioch. It’s another mountain that’s highly recommended and the summit views comprise a unique view of the Torridon range as well as to the north over the Fisherfield, the Fannichs and An Teallach.

I could go on and on about how brilliant the Torridon area is, but that would overlook another fantastic and equally incredible part of the West Highlands for hiking - Kintail. This part of Scotland is home to some of the country’s finest ridge walks including some real classic days out for Munro bagging.

The mountain ridges are on either side of the epic Glen Shiel; on the north side you have the Five Sisters of Kintail and the Three Brothers of Kintail, while on the other side is the South Glenshiel Ridge, which encompasses seven Munros, as well as Sgurr na Sgine (‘Peak of the Knife’) and one of my all-time favourite Munros, The Saddle.

The Saddle (‘An Dìollaid’) is arguably the finest mountain in this part of Scotland and once you’ve managed to scramble your way up the thrilling Forcan Ridge to reach the incredible views at the summit you’ll find it hard to disagree. Forcan Ridge is a match for any of the airier scrambles you’ll find to reach Scotland’s mountain tops and is a truly memorable experience. There is however, a bypass path which can be taken for those less confident with scrambling or if the weather is poor.

The South Glen Shiel Ridge 7 is also highly recommended. There are not many other places in Scotland where you can bag seven Munros in quite such a straightforward way and the views down over the glen and across to the Brothers and Sisters of Kintail and the other mountains in the area are truly sensational. Just don’t underestimate the length and remember to have a car parked at the end unless you plan to hitch-hike or get public transport back to the beginning! Enjoy discovering Scotland’s finest mountains!