Maoile Lunndaidh
Encyclopedia
Maoile Lunndaidh is a Scottish
mountain situated 13 km south of Achnasheen
in the Ross and Cromarty
district of the Highland
council area. It is part of the high ground between Loch Monar and Gleann Fhiodhaig.
and Glen Carron with the nearest public road being over 10 km away. The mountain has a recognised height of 1007 metres (3304 feet). However on the newest large scale OS
maps the highest spot height is 1005 metres.
Maoile Lunndaidh has been described as “the flattest of bulks”, being almost Cairngorm
like in character with its extensive level summit plateau which seems out of place amongst the west coast peaks. The mountain has two impressive corrie
s which cut deeply into the mountain on its NW and SE sides and are its most impressive geographical features. Maoile Lunndaidh translates from the Gaelic
as “Bare hill of the wet place”, with the mountain being especially boggy on its lower slopes, lying near the headwaters of both the Strathfarrar and Strathconan glens and having several high lochans within its corries.
as the summit in 1891, however between 1921 and 1981, a point 650 metres to the SW called Creag Toll a’ Choin was declared the highest part of the hill. In 1981 the summit was reverted once more to its original place after the metric re-mapping of the Scottish Highlands
, a decision not without some controversy as Creag Toll a’ Choin is the better viewpoint for Loch Monar. Ironically the latest 1:25 000 scale map now give both points a spot height of 1005 metres.
At the western end of the summit ridge stands Càrn nan Fiaclan (Cairn of the teeth) with a height of 996 metres it is listed as a “top” in the Munros Tables even though it only has approximately 10 metres of prominence
from the main summit. The curving nature of the summit ridge is formed by the deep incutting of two massive corries, the Fuar Tholl Mòr (Big cold hollow) and the Toll a’ Choin (Boggy hollow) almost meet as they cut into the mountain from the NW and SE respectively forming a narrow neck of land about 50 metres wide at the point where the ridge curves. To the west the mountain is connected to the adjoining Munro of Sgurr a’ Chaorachain by a col
with a height of 605 metres while to the east a col with a height of 490 metres links to the Corbett of An Sidhean.
Fuar Tholl Mòr has several small lochans nestling within it while on the eastern flanks of the mountain are the larger bodies of water of Loch a’ Chlaidheimh and Loch nam Breac Dearga. The southern slopes of the mountain descend to Loch Monar, to the former site of Strathmore Lodge, made famous by Iain Thomson in his book “Isolation Shepherd”, the lodge and over 60 other dwellings were flooded when the level of the loch was raised as part of the Hydroelectricity
scheme in the late 1950s. All drainage from Maoile Lunndaidh goes to the east coast of Scotland via the long glens of Strathfarrar and Strathconan to reach the Beauly Firth
and the Cromarty Firth
.
The approach from Strathglass is a 22 km round trip which starts at the Loch Monar dam (grid reference ), this long approach is further complicated by the restricted access allowed to motor vehicles by the locked gate at the entrance to Glen Strathfarrar at Struy. The opening times are here http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/access/strathfarrar.html. This walk follows the north shore of the loch for six km before climbing the mountain by the SE ridge. The summit of the mountain is marked by a large cairn of grey boulders, the mossy and stony summit plateau can be a confusing place in mist and needs navigational skill under such conditions.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
mountain situated 13 km south of Achnasheen
Achnasheen
Achnasheen is a small village in Ross-shire in the Highland council area of Scotland. Despite the size of the village, Achnasheen is also the name of a postal district which covers several much larger communities. This dates from the time when the village railway station was an important stop on...
in the Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
district of the Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area. It is part of the high ground between Loch Monar and Gleann Fhiodhaig.
Overview
Maoile Lunndaidh is a large and very remote mountain, covering an area in excess of 10 square miles (2,590 hectares), it is located almost equidistant from the valleys of Strathconan, StrathfarrarGlen Strathfarrar
Glen Strathfarrar is a glen in the Highland region of Scotland, near Loch Ness.-Geography:The River Farrar runs through the glen.The Glen is part of the Affric-Beauly hydro-electric power scheme, with a dam at Loch Monar and underground power stations at Deanie and Culligran.There are a number of...
and Glen Carron with the nearest public road being over 10 km away. The mountain has a recognised height of 1007 metres (3304 feet). However on the newest large scale OS
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps the highest spot height is 1005 metres.
Maoile Lunndaidh has been described as “the flattest of bulks”, being almost Cairngorm
Cairngorms
The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain of the same name - Cairn Gorm.-Name:...
like in character with its extensive level summit plateau which seems out of place amongst the west coast peaks. The mountain has two impressive corrie
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
s which cut deeply into the mountain on its NW and SE sides and are its most impressive geographical features. Maoile Lunndaidh translates from the Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
as “Bare hill of the wet place”, with the mountain being especially boggy on its lower slopes, lying near the headwaters of both the Strathfarrar and Strathconan glens and having several high lochans within its corries.
Geography
Maoile Lunndaidh’s curving summit plateau is almost two km in length, never dropping below the 980 metre contour. Its flatness has led to some confusion over the years as to the actual highest point of the mountain with the location of the summit changing three times in the Munros Tables. The present highest point was originally named by Hugh MunroHugh Munro
Sir Hugh Thomas Munro, 4th Baronet of Linderits was a Scottish mountaineer who is best known for his list of mountains in Scotland over 3,000 feet , known as the Munros....
as the summit in 1891, however between 1921 and 1981, a point 650 metres to the SW called Creag Toll a’ Choin was declared the highest part of the hill. In 1981 the summit was reverted once more to its original place after the metric re-mapping of the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, a decision not without some controversy as Creag Toll a’ Choin is the better viewpoint for Loch Monar. Ironically the latest 1:25 000 scale map now give both points a spot height of 1005 metres.
At the western end of the summit ridge stands Càrn nan Fiaclan (Cairn of the teeth) with a height of 996 metres it is listed as a “top” in the Munros Tables even though it only has approximately 10 metres of prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
from the main summit. The curving nature of the summit ridge is formed by the deep incutting of two massive corries, the Fuar Tholl Mòr (Big cold hollow) and the Toll a’ Choin (Boggy hollow) almost meet as they cut into the mountain from the NW and SE respectively forming a narrow neck of land about 50 metres wide at the point where the ridge curves. To the west the mountain is connected to the adjoining Munro of Sgurr a’ Chaorachain by a col
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
with a height of 605 metres while to the east a col with a height of 490 metres links to the Corbett of An Sidhean.
Fuar Tholl Mòr has several small lochans nestling within it while on the eastern flanks of the mountain are the larger bodies of water of Loch a’ Chlaidheimh and Loch nam Breac Dearga. The southern slopes of the mountain descend to Loch Monar, to the former site of Strathmore Lodge, made famous by Iain Thomson in his book “Isolation Shepherd”, the lodge and over 60 other dwellings were flooded when the level of the loch was raised as part of the Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
scheme in the late 1950s. All drainage from Maoile Lunndaidh goes to the east coast of Scotland via the long glens of Strathfarrar and Strathconan to reach the Beauly Firth
Beauly Firth
The Beauly Firth is a firth in northern Scotland. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly and at the other by Inverness . The Kessock Ferry has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century...
and the Cromarty Firth
Cromarty Firth
The Cromarty Firth of Cromarty') is an arm of the North Sea in Scotland. It is the middle of the three sea lochs at the head of the Moray Firth: to the north lies the Dornoch Firth, and to the south the Beauly Firth....
.
Ascents and summit
The ascent of Maoile Lunndaidh is a long, hard day in the hills, most guide books recommend the route from Craig in Glen Carron, because it is the slightly shorter choice and it is possible to use a bicycle for some of the route. Other mountain writers (Ralph Storer and Robin Howie) recommend the approach from Glen Strathfarrar because of the beautiful scenery, however this has some access restrictions. The approach from Craig starts on the A890 road at grid reference , a mountain bike can be used on the fine forestry track that goes for 10 km to the remote Glenuaig Lodge at the foot of Maoile Lunndaidh. From there the mountain can be climbed by following the west edge of the Fuar Tholl Mòr corrie.The approach from Strathglass is a 22 km round trip which starts at the Loch Monar dam (grid reference ), this long approach is further complicated by the restricted access allowed to motor vehicles by the locked gate at the entrance to Glen Strathfarrar at Struy. The opening times are here http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/access/strathfarrar.html. This walk follows the north shore of the loch for six km before climbing the mountain by the SE ridge. The summit of the mountain is marked by a large cairn of grey boulders, the mossy and stony summit plateau can be a confusing place in mist and needs navigational skill under such conditions.