Torridon

Liathach from Glen Torridon
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

Climbers who know this great mountain will agree that it is the mightiest and most imposing in all Britain. On leaving Kinlochewe to drive down Glen Torridon, you first skirt the quartzite slopes of Beinn Eighe, but on reaching Loch Clair it suddenly burst upon the view across the moor, its eastern ramparts falling almost vertically and its impending cliffs of red sandstone stretching as far as the eye can see.

W.A. Poucher The Scottish Peaks (1965)

That’s Walt Poucher waxing typically overblown about the view of the mountain Liathach from Glen Torridon, captured above by the Boon Companion. Not exactly “as far as the eye can see”—but the sensation on first rounding the corner and catching sight of this  hulking great mountain is not unlike coming out of harbour in a rowing boat and finding an aircraft carrier bearing down on you.

We were bound for the far end of the glen, to a cottage on the shore of Loch Torridon.

The Boat House, Torridon
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

It boasts a fine view of the gentler, western end of Liathach, with the village of Torridon nestled below:

Liathach and Torridon village across Loch Torridon
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

And to the left of that view, the cliffs of Beinn Alligin loom across the loch:

Beinn Alligin above Loch Torridon
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

So a fine spot to spend a few short November days. We didn’t stray far. One trip took us above the snow-line on the infamous Bealach na Ba road to Applecross, with its stunning view of the Skye Cuillin:

Skye Cuillin from Bealach na Ba
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© 2019 The Oikofuge

On other days we went north to Loch Maree, to wander through the woodlands there, with views towards the castellated bulk of Slioch:

Slioch and Loch Maree
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

The frosty tracks behind the Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre were still accessible, even though the centre itself (along with a large chunk of the Highland hospitality industry) was closed for the season. There’s been a big change since I first visited this spot, fifty years ago. At that time a visitor centre for a geographical feature was a complete novelty. The paths were rough and un-signposted. Nowadays they’re broad, smoothly surfaced tracks, waymarked and decorated with sculpture and carvings and … other stuff:

Stone stack, Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

We had some good and bad wildlife encounters. The bad one happened at Applecross, where a dog broke its lead and attacked a pair of red deer stags on the shoreline:

Deer being harried by dog, Applecross
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

The deer made a good job of defending themselves, but eventually one broke and ran for the hillside, while the other plunged into Applecross Bay and swam a kilometre to the other side. We watched it through binoculars until we saw it wade out of the water on the far side, and breathed a sigh of relief—but perhaps prematurely. An hour later, as we drove around the coast road, we saw it still standing on the shoreline—a wet and exhausted deer at sunset, with a frosty night ahead.

On a happier note, we also communed with Calum—a thirteen-pointer stag who intermittently hangs around the walkers’ car park below Liathach, successfully cadging food.

Calum the Stag, Glen Torridon
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

And then there was our almost customary encounter with distinctly un-wild life:

Highland cattle, Torridon
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

But the highlight was this little fellow:

Pine Marten
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

The picture was taken through a glass door, using a security light for illumination, so it’s not the sharpest of images—but it gives a good impression of what a smart little creature a pine marten is.

It turned out our cottage was on the beat of a pair of martens, who visited several times every night. Using advice the Boon Companion had gleaned from a wildlife photographer, we baited our picnic table with dollops of jam topped with raisins, and I was able to get this little burst of infra-red footage of a pine marten experiencing some kind of culinary ecstasy:

The martens were (obviously) the highlight of the show outside our front window. But the view was never really dull.

View from The Boat House, Torridon
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© 2019 The Boon Companion

4 thoughts on “Torridon”

  1. That chair looking over the loch, with the snow capped peak in the background, is just begging me to sit in it with a large glass of red and contemplate the world. (I don’t like spirits so no whisky for me)

    There are lots of lovely photos here. It looks to be a lovely area to visit.

  2. Yes, it’s nice spot, and the pine martens were a bonus. The highland cattle are always great fun, but slightly alarming (despite their reputedly placid nature) when actually leaning against your car.

    You might want to think again about sitting outside, Neil. The air temperature was about 2ºC when that photograph was taken, with a biting east wind blowing down the glen from the direction of Siberia.

  3. The temperature in Perth as I am writing this has just dropped down from 41ºC to a balmy 38ºC so 2ºC might be a bit of a shock I must admit. Still, it is an amazingly evocative photo.

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