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WalkingHill Walking and Mountain Climbing
Wester Ross has over 60 Corbetts and Munros to satisfy any experienced walker. The spectacular Torridons provide challenging walks and climbs with stunning views. However there is also a wide range of low level walks suitable for all ages and abilities. We have a wide range of books and maps in our online shop to help you plan your walks. They cover Poolewe, Gairloch and Lochcarron as well as the wider Wester Ross area.
When is a mountain not a mountain?
Locally, Beinn Teallach recently qualified as a Munro and remains on the list. For anyone interested in checking out the opposition a complete list of those illustrious climbers who have a complete bag can be seen at the Scottish Mountaineering Club.
In the Wester Ross area 40 Munros can be found. A full colour book The Munros by Cameron McNeish gives a comprehensive guide to all of Scotland`s Munros.
Corbetts are the Munros that don’t quite measure up. They are the mountains between 2500 and 2999 feet and are so named in honour of the man who fist recorded the list of eligible peaks, John Rooke Corbett. His definition of a Corbett was that it should have a minimum re-ascent of 500 feet or a minimum distance of 500 feet on all sides between it and the neighbouring hills.
In the Wester Ross area there are 32 Corbetts. Details of all Munros and Corbetts in the Wester Ross area can be found on the Mountains page.
Explorer 434 Gairloch and Loch Ewe A series of detailed guides of hill walks are also available including, for example, Loch Kernsary and Old Tollie Road. Visit the Tourist Information Centre in Gairloch where staff will be able to direct you to the appropriate information and give up to date weather information.
Rock Climbing in Wester Ross
Some of the best rock climbing in Scotland is to be found in the Wester Ross area. There is a long tradition of climbing going back to Victorian days when the area was far less accessible than today. Despite modern conveniences and attitudes, climbing here is very much about being a part of the natural environment and not just an activity that is an extension of our urban, consumerist lifestyles. Multi-pitch climbs on Carnmore in the heart of the Fisherfield Forest or in Coire Fhic Fhearchair on the north side of Beinn Eighe are committing mountaineering experiences that contrast wonderfully with the abundant low-level, mostly single-pitch venues scattered from Plockton to Ullapool. Lewisian Gneiss, Torridonian Sandstone, Cambrian Quartzite, sea cliffs, traditional climbing, bolted sports climbing, bouldering areas, sunny crags, shady crags, perma-dry crags for rainy days, windy crags for midgy days, undeveloped crags for the thrill of new-routing, there are hardly any days you can't enjoy climbing. There is no shortage of rock. A small group of active local climbers are constantly developing new crags and new routes. They are a friendly bunch who will readily share local info with you and want you to enjoy what is, for them, a big natural rock playground. Wester Ross caters for all aspects of rock climbing and, contrary to popular myth, it doesn't always rain and the midges aren't as bad as other places in Scotland. When the sun shines and a breeze blows and you are out there enjoying the rock, it is the best place in the world!
Guidebooks www.wildwesttopos.com - for locally produced topo guides (available in the Gairloch Tourist Office and its online shop, some local shops and at the Bridge Cafe, Poolewe) and up-to-date rock info. SMC Northern Highlands Vol. 1 ISBN 0-907521-33-9 (will be replaced by Northern Central in 2006). Guiding and Rock Climbing Information www.gofurtherscotland.co.uk - for local, expert and fully qualified guiding and instruction, tel: 01445 771260 or 01854 633367.
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