Gairich
| Gairich | |
| Inverness-shire | |
|---|---|
 Gairich from the Loch Quoich dam | |
| Summit: | 3,015 feet NN025995 57°2’39"N, 5°15’26"W |
Gairich is a mountain in Inverness-shire, which reaches a height of 3,015 feet at its summit, and so it qualifies as a Munro.
The mountain situated on the southern side of Loch Quoich between Glen Kingie and Glen Garry, 16 miles north of Fort William.
Overview
With a height of 3,015 feet, Gairich qualifies as a Munro by just fifteen feet. The mountain is rough and quite isolated with a substantial prominence of 1,811 feet[1] and is conspicuous in the view up Glen Garry. It is seen as a conical peak when viewed from the Loch Quoich dam (see picture).
The mountain was initially named Scour Gairoch on the original 1891 list of Munros[2] and is still occasionally called this, however it is now referred to generally as Gairich which translates from the Gaelic as "Roaring"[3] or "Peak of Yelling"[4] and is believed to refer to the roaring of stags in the rutting season.
Geography
Gairich has two notable corries on its slopes. Coire Liath lies on the northern flank of the mountain. It is over half a mile across and is rimmed by crags. It is drained by the Allt a' Choire Leith which flows northwards into Loch Quoich. These lower northern slopes of the mountain formerly had a right of way which went along the southern shore of Loch Quoich, this track was submerged and lost when the loch was dammed in 1957 and the water level was raised by 100 feet as part of the hydro-electric scheme in the Highlands.[5]
Lochan Doire Meall an Eilein, a small lake approximately 500 yards long stands on the northern flanks of Gairich around the 400 m contour. The eastern slopes of the mountain has the smaller Coire Thollaidh which also drains north into the loch. Gairich is made up of three distinct ridges, the NE and NW ridges form the flanks of Coire Liath and descend to Loch Quoich. Either of these ridges could be used for ascent by walkers approaching the mountain by canoe across the loch. The eastern ridge descends for four kilometres from the summit ending near the Quoich dam and is used in ascending the mountain from that direction.
Although the mountain is seen as a conical peak when viewed from the Quoich dam this is quite misleading as the actual summit plateau extends westward for almost two kilometres culminating in the subsidiary top of Gairich Beag with a height of 2,395 feet before descending into the a' Mhaingir glen. Gairich is in fact the first peak in a chain of hills which extends westwards over the adjoining Munro of Sgurr Mòr to terminate at Sgurr na Cìche in the remote wilderness of Knoydart. The southern flank of the mountain descends steeply into the lonely Glen Kingie, this precipitous slope has a large impressive gully on it which is drained by the Allt am Fhamhair.[6] Glen Kingie itself can be a difficult barrier when approaching Gairich from the south with the River Kingie being an impossible obstacle when it is in spate and needing wading at other times because of the absence of bridges. The Kinbreack bothy in Glen Kingie is a useful base for climbing the mountains in this area.
Ascents
The usual ascent of Gairich starts at the car park at the Loch Quoich dam[7] at grid reference NH070024. From there the dam wall is crossed and a path is picked up which goes south for 1½ miles to reach the lower part of the east ridge. It is then a three-mile climb up the ridge to the highest point, crossing the subsidiary top of Bac nam Foid (1,916 feet) on the way. The final section to the summit is a steep climb with one tricky narrow bit. It is also possible to climb the mountain from the south, starting at the road end by Loch Arkaig at Strathan[8] at grid reference NM986915 and following an old right of way to Tomdoun in Glen Garry as far as the Kinbreack bothy in Glen Kingie. The best place to wade the Kingie is near the bothy, Gairich can then be ascended by its western flank passing over Gairich Beag to reach the summit.
References
- ↑ Database of British and Irish Hills.
- ↑ The Munros and Tops 1891-1997.
- ↑ The Munros Page 147 (Gives translation as “Roaring“).
- ↑ The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland Page 319 (Gives translation as "Peak of Yelling").
- ↑ Hamish‘s Mountain Walk Pages 219 (Gives info on submerged path on south shore of loch).
- ↑ Hamish‘s Mountain Walk Pages 219 (Gives info on gully on south slopes).
- ↑ The Munros Page 147 (Gives details of ascent from Quoich dam).
- ↑ The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland Page 171 (Gives details of route from Loch Arkaig).
Further reading
- The Munros, Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 1986, Donald Bennett (Editor) ISBN 0-907521-13-4
- In the Hills of Breadalbane, V.A. Firsoff, no ISBN
- The Munros, Scotland's Highest Mountains, Cameron McNeish, ISBN 1-84204-082-0
- The Magic Of The Munros, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0-7153-2168-4
- Hamish's Mountain Walk, Hamish Brown, ISBN 1-898573-08-5
| Munros in SMC Area SMC Section 10 - Loch Eil to Glen Shiel |
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Aonach air Chrith • Beinn Sgritheall • Creag a' Mhaim • Creag nan Damh • Druim Shionnach • Gairich • Garbh Chioch Mhor • Gleouraich • Gulvain • Ladhar Bheinn • Luinne Bheinn • Maol Chinn-dearg • Meall Buidhe • Meall na Teanga • Sgùrr a' Mhaoraich • Sgùrr an Doire Leathain • Sgùrr an Lochain • Sgùrr Mòr • Sgùrr na Cìche • Sgùrr na Sgine • Sgurr nan Coireachan (Glen Dessary) • Sgurr nan Coireachan (Glenfinnan) • Sgùrr Thuilm • Spidean Mialach • Sron a' Choire Ghairbh • The Saddle |
