Sgùrr Thuilm

Sgùrr Thuilm
Inverness-shire
Summit:	3,159 feet NM939879 56°56’11"N, 5°23’17"W

Sgùrr Thuilm is a mountain in Inverness-shire, which reaches a height of 3,159 feet at its summit, and so it qualifies as a Munro. It is in the Glenfinnan area of the county, at the head of Glen Finnan and some four miles north of Loch Shiel.

Overview

Sgùrr Thuilm reaches a height of 3,159 feet. It is listed both as a Munro and as a "Marilyn", the latter for its significant prominence of 2,014 feet. It rises at the head of Glen Finnan and is usually climbed along with the neighbouring Munro, Sgurr nan Coireachan, to which it is joined by a rocky ridge. It lies just outwith the Rough Bounds of Knoydart but shares many of the characteristics of the mountains of that region.

The name translates from the Gaelic as Rocky peak of the hillock.

Geography

Sgùrr Thuilm is a steep sided, craggy mountain positioned at the eastern end of a winding ridge which also contains the Munro Sgùrr nan Coireachan and several other less prominent peaks. This ridge encloses Coire Thollaidh, in which the River Finnan has its source. The north side of the mountain is craggy with several coires dropping towards Glen Pean. To the south and east is the narrow Gleann Cuirnean which divides Sgùrr Thuilm from Streap, a neighbouring hill.

Sgùrr Thuilm has three distinct ridges: the curved western ridge connects it to Sgùrr nan Coireachan; the north-eastern ridge runs into Glen Peann via a subsidiary top Meall an Fhir-eoin; and the south-western ridge, named Druim Coire a' Bheithe, drops to Glenfinnan Lodge.

Ascents

Sgùrr Thuilm can be climbed from both Glen Finnan to the south, or from the north-east by way of the public road at the west end of Loch Arkaig. The Glen Finnan approach is slightly longer, although it is possible to cycle part way up the glen.

From the A830 road on the west side of the River Finnan the ascent route follows Glen Finnan until a stalkers path is picked up which leads onto the south-east ridge of Sgùrr nan Coireachan. From this summit a traverse east along a rough ridge over two smaller summits is completed to reach Sgùrr Thuilm. The return to Glen Finnan can be achieved by descending south and then south-west down the Druim Coire a' Bheithe.

References and footnotes

• 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

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Sgùrr Thuilm)