Maol Chinn-dearg

Maol Chinn-dearg
Inverness-shire, Ross-shire
The east ridge of Maol Chinn-Dearg
Range:	Glen Shiel Hills
Summit:	3,219 feet NH032087 57°7’37"N, 5°15’11"W

Maol Chinn-dearg is a mountain amongst the Glen Shiel Hills, the district packed with high peaks where Ross-shire and Inverness-shire meet near the west coast. Maol Chinn-dearg itself is on the border of the two shires. It reaches a height of 3,219 feet at its summit, and so it qualifies as a Munro.

The mountain is part of the south Glen Shiel ridge, a ridge of seven Munros stretching 8½ miles from the head of Loch Cluanie in the east to the start of Glenshiel Forrest in the west. They can be completed in one long and extremely rewarding day out for those fit enough.

The southern faces along the ridge overlook Glen Quoich and the slopes are generally steep but grassy. The northern slopes overlook the remote areas of the Kintail Forrest and are bitten into by a series of corries for much of the duration of the ridge. This gives rise to an extremely craggy northern face particularly towards the eastern end of the ridge.

Maol Chinn Dearg is the fourth Munro from the western end connected on its eastern ridge to Aonach air Chrith and on its western ridge to Sgurr an Doire Leathain. Doing the whole ridge and all seven Munros in a day is a worthy challenge, though dividing it may be wiser for most.

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