An Ruadh-stac
| An Ruadh-stac | |||
| Ross-shire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The north face of An Ruadh-stac seen from Maol Cheann-dearg. | |||
| Range: | Torridon Hills | ||
| Summit: | 2,926 feet NG921480 57°28’33"N, 5°28’4"W | ||
An Ruadh-stac is a mountain in the Torridon Hills of Wester Ross, within Ross-shire. It is to be found 16 miles northeast of Kyle of Lochalsh.
Overview
An Ruadh-stac reaches a height of 2,926 feet, too short for a Munro (with which Torridon is well supplied) but classified as a 'Corbett'.
This is a distinguished looking mountain which is prominent in views because of its light grey coloured quartzite rocks, it stands in the ancient Coulin hunting forest, an area of rough mountainous country between Glen Carron and Glen Torridon. The mountain is situated 2½ miles from the nearest public road but there are good stalkers paths within the deer forest which aid access to the foot of the mountain. An Ruadh-stac is closely associated with the adjoining Munro, Maol Cheann-dearg, with which it is often climbed.
The mountain's name is Gaelic, translated as 'The Red Stack' or 'The Red Conical Hill'; this is slightly misleading as it is invariably seen as a light grey hill due to its quartzite rocks. Hamish Brown comments on the name thus: “An Ruadh-stac is a grey hill, sometimes touched white by the sun but never red like its ruddy, bald headed neighbour (Maol Cheann-dearg).”[1]
Geography
An Ruadh-stac has the classic triangular mountain shape formed by three steep ridges, the northeast ridge is the least steep and the one usually used for ascent and descent by walkers. This ridge drops to the 2,000-foot high Bealach a’ Choire Ghairbh which links the mountain to Maol Cheann-dearg which stands a mile to the north across Coire an Ruidh Staic. The south ridge leads over the subsidiary top of Ruadh Stach Beag (2,487 feet) before descending towards Glen Carron over rough, boggy ground. The north and west side of the mountain are ringed by steep crags making the northwest ridge too hazardous for walkers.
The mountain's finest geographical feature is the north face a precipitous rock wall which shows off the layered geology of An Ruadh-stac when viewed from a distance. These crags rise over 1,300 feet from the shore of Loch Coire an Ruaidh-staic and have received the attention of rock climbers with Tom Patey and Chris Bonington pioneering a 600-foot long route in 1960.[1]
The lower slopes on the southeast side of the mountain are composed of ice polished slabs dotted with long flowing mounds of debris, this is fluted moraine, deposited from a glacier, the mounds are less than 12 feet in height but up to 1,300 feet in length.[2] The mountains visual attraction is further added to by the presence of four small lochs around its north-eastern flanks, they are all on different levels. One of these lochs, Loch a’ Mhadaidh Ruadh, is rated as one of the most beautiful in the Highlands (which is quite a claim): it is located on the Bealach a’ Choire Ghairbh and is enclosed by walls of quartzite rock, giving it an almost artificial look.[3] All drainage from the mountain makes the short journey to the west coast, going directly west to Upper Loch Torridon or southeast to Glen Carron and then Loch Carron.
Ascents and view
The summit of An Ruadh-stac is a long way from any road but the closest starting point is on the A890 road at Coulags in Glen Carron at grid reference NG958451. This route follows the footpath north up the valley of the Fionn-abhainn before crossing the river and going west and climbing up to the Bealach a’ Choire Ghairbh. From the bealach it is a tough 1,100-foot climb up rough slopes of scree and slabby rock to the summit. It is possible to climb the mountain by a longer route from Glen Torridon starting from Annat at NG893544.[4]
The summit is littered with quartzite boulders with the highest point marked by a cairn of rocks and gives a view which includes the Cuillin hills on Skye to the southwest, Upper Loch Torridon appears next to Beinn Damh to the northwest while the Torridon hills are further round to the north. By exploring the summit plateau further it is possible to look 1000 feet down the cliffs of the north face to Loch Coire an Ruaidh-staic.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Climbing The Corbetts", Hamish Brown, ISBN 1-898573-08-5 Page 282 Gives quote on name, rock climbing and geographical details.
- ↑ Wiley Interscience. A study of fluted moraines in the Torridon area, NW Scotland.
- ↑ "100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains",Ralph Storer, ISBN 0-7515-0300-2 Pages 132 “One of the most beautiful lochans in the highlands”.
- ↑ "The Corbetts And Other Scottish Hills", Scottish Mountaineering Club, ISBN 0-907521-29-0 Page 178 Gives geographical and route information.
- ↑ "Torridon - A Walker‘s Guide", Peter Barton", ISBN 1-85284-022-6 Pages 154 Gives general details on mountain.