Sgùrr na Lapaich

Sgurr na Lapaich
Ross-shire, Inverness-shire
Sgurr na Lapaich seen from Càrn nan Gobhar
Summit:	3,773 feet NH160351 57°22’9"N, 5°3’36"W

Sgùrr na Lapaich is a mountain on the border of Ross-shire with Inverness-shire, which reaches a height of 3,773 feet at its summit, and so it qualifies as a Munro. It stands north of Loch Mullardoch, in the high ground that separates Glen Cannich from Glen Strathfarrar.

At 3,773 feet, this is the fourth-highest mountain north of the Great Glen, and north of it is to be found no higher ground in Great Britain.

Overview

The name Sgùrr na Lapaich means "Peak of the Bog", which is an odd name for a fine mountain like this one; its long ridges, deep corries and lochans, culminate in a satisfying rocky peak with good views out over the surrounding Highlands of Ross-shire. Another peak bears this name too; Sgurr na Lapaich is the name of an outlying subsidiary top of Mam Sodhail.

With a topographic prominence of 2,753 feet, Sgùrr na Lapaich is the highest point for some considerable distance and is a fine viewpoint. The mountain is particularly well seen from the east; it is a prominent landmark as far away as the Moray Firth, some thirty miles away, from where locals use it as a guide for the weather forecast.

Geography

South-east from the summit over Loch Tuill Bhearnach

The mountain is linked by ridges to the adjoining Munros of An Riabhachan to the west and Càrn nan Gobhar to the east.

Sgurr nan Clachan Geala, NH161342, 3,199 feet is a subsidiary peak of the mountain to the south of the main summit, and listed as a "Munro Top"

Another minor summit, Rudha na Spreidhe, lies at the end of the mountain's northern spur and gives good views of Loch Monar. This was also formerly classed as a top, but has now been deleted from Munro's Tables.

Deep, glacial corries surround the mountain on several sides. To the south-east of the summit the slopes fall steeply into a large corrie containing Loch Tuill Bhearnach, the largest of Sgurr na Lapaich's lochans at around 500 yards wide; further south is a smaller corrie surrounding Loch a' Choire Bhig. Both of these lochans drain into Loch Mullardoch. To the east of the summit is the steep, rocky head-wall of Coire nan Each, which is snow-filled until the late spring.

Ascent

Sgurr na Lapaich can be climbed either from Glen Strathfarrar or Glen Cannich. The usual approach from Glen Cannich starts at the parking spot at the Loch Mullardoch dam (NH219315) and begins by ascending the Munro of Càrn nan Gobhar by its south ridge. The route then goes north-west to a col at 2,612 feet before ascending the broad, grassy east ridge of Sgurr na Lapaich. This becomes rocky higher up, requiring some easy scrambling to reach the summit.

The approach from Glen Strathfarrar begins from the hydroelectric power station in Gleann Innis (NH182381), reached by a 17-mile drive from Struy along a private road; the locked gate at the entrance to this road is opened at specified times to give access to walkers.[1] From the power station a stalkers' path leads to the col between An Riabhachan and Sgurr na Lapaich, from where there is a further climb of a thousand feet to reach the summit.

The top of the mountain is marked by an Ordnance Survey trig point.

References

• 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