Quinag
Encyclopedia
The mountain Quinag (Scottish Gaelic: A’ Chuineag, ə xɯɲaɡ̊) in Sutherland
, in the Scottish Highlands
, is in fact a mountain range with an undulating series of peaks along its Y-shaped crest. The name Quinag is an anglicisation
of the Gaelic name Cuinneag, a milking pail, reflecting its distinctive shape.
Geologically, Quinag is made of Torridonian sandstone, resting on a substrate of Lewisian gneiss
. The highest peaks are capped by a thin skin of Cambrian
quartzite
s with the gentle eastern slope of Spidean Coinich being a dip slope formed along the quartzite beds. The massif is an excellent place to appreciate the relationship between these three major rock units of the NW Highland.
Bridge, Quinag presents a formidable sight with its two huge buttresses of Sàil Gharbh and Sàil Ghorm dominating the skyline. It provides a backdrop to Loch Assynt
, and seen from the road coming from the village of Lochinver
, Quinag stretches as far as the eye can see. Spidean Coinich projects a broad south-east ridge which provides the usual ascent route for walkers.
The 8400 acres (3,399.4 ha) Quinag estate was purchased by the John Muir Trust
in 2005. Quinag and Glencanisp estates share ownership of Loch Assynt.
Remnants of ancient woodland
comprising birch
, rowan
, hazel
, wych elm
, aspen
and oak
are scattered throughout the northern side of the mountain particularly in the deep gulleys and sheltered situations near the seashore.
Quinag is mentioned in Iain Banks
's 2007 novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale
as lying just west of the estate of that name.
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
, in 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...
, is in fact a mountain range with an undulating series of peaks along its Y-shaped crest. The name Quinag is an anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the Gaelic name Cuinneag, a milking pail, reflecting its distinctive shape.
Geologically, Quinag is made of Torridonian sandstone, resting on a substrate of Lewisian gneiss
Lewisian complex
The Lewisian complex or Lewisian Gneiss is a suite of Precambrian metamorphic rocks that outcrop in the northwestern part of Scotland, forming part of the Hebridean Terrane. These rocks are of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic age, ranging from 3.0–1.7 Ga. They form the basement on which the...
. The highest peaks are capped by a thin skin of Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
s with the gentle eastern slope of Spidean Coinich being a dip slope formed along the quartzite beds. The massif is an excellent place to appreciate the relationship between these three major rock units of the NW Highland.
Ascent
Quinag boasts three separate Corbett summits – Sàil Ghorm (Blue Heel 776 m/2,546 ft; s̪aːl ɣɔɾɔm), Sàil Gharbh (Rough Heel 808 m/2,651 ft; s̪aːl ɣaɾav) and Spidean Coinich (Mossy Peak 764 m/2,506 ft; s̪b̊id̊ʲan kɤɲɪç). From the north and from the road crossing the KyleskuKylesku
Kylesku is a small, remote fishing hamlet in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. Until 1984, it was the site of a free ferry.-Village:Kylesku is located where Loch Glencoul and Loch Gleann Dubh join to form a sea passage Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin which links to Eddrachillis Bay...
Bridge, Quinag presents a formidable sight with its two huge buttresses of Sàil Gharbh and Sàil Ghorm dominating the skyline. It provides a backdrop to Loch Assynt
Loch Assynt
Loch Assynt is a freshwater loch in Sutherland, Scotland, 8 km ENE of Lochinver.Situated in a spectacular setting between the heights of Canisp, Quinag and Beinn Uidhe, it receives the outflow from Lochs Awe, Maol a' Choire, and Leitir Easaich. It discharges into the sea at Loch Inver, via the...
, and seen from the road coming from the village of Lochinver
Lochinver
Lochinver is a village on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loch Assynt which is the source of the River Inver which flows into Loch Inver at the village. There are 200 or so lochans in the area which makes the place very popular with...
, Quinag stretches as far as the eye can see. Spidean Coinich projects a broad south-east ridge which provides the usual ascent route for walkers.
The 8400 acres (3,399.4 ha) Quinag estate was purchased by the John Muir Trust
John Muir Trust
The John Muir Trust is a Scottish charity established as a membership organisation in 1983 to conserve wild land and wild places for the benefit of all...
in 2005. Quinag and Glencanisp estates share ownership of Loch Assynt.
Remnants of ancient woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
comprising birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, rowan
Rowan
The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
, hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
, wych elm
Wych Elm
Ulmus glabra, the Wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Urals, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese in Greece; it is also found in Iran...
, aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
are scattered throughout the northern side of the mountain particularly in the deep gulleys and sheltered situations near the seashore.
Quinag is mentioned in Iain Banks
Iain Banks
Iain Banks is a Scottish writer. He writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies...
's 2007 novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale
The Steep Approach to Garbadale
The Steep Approach to Garbadale is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 2007. The novel had at least two working titles, Matter and Empire! [fact]-Plot introduction:...
as lying just west of the estate of that name.