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N1 Beinn Alligin 3235ft (986m)

Start/finish    Beinn Alligin car park, NG869576

Tom na Gruagaich 3024ft (922m)
Distance    5 miles (8km)
Time    5 hours

Sgurr Mhor 3323ft (1013m)
Distance    7½ miles (12.1km)
Time    6 hours

Complete traverse
Distance    8 miles (12.9km)
Time    7–8 hours
Map    OS Landranger 24

This fine mountain, which dominates the north shore of Loch Torridon, has three components – Tom na Gruagaich (the hill of the maiden), Sgurr Mhor (big peak) and the Alligin Horns – Tom na Gruagaich and Sgurr Mhor being designated Munros. The hill walker has the choice of ascending one or two of these peaks or of doing the complete traverse, the Horns being comparable, but not similar, to Helvellyn’s Striding Edge.

Poucher recommends doing the circuit in an anticlockwise direction, Horns first. I advise the opposite, clockwise, direction, doing Tom na Gruagaich first. If you attempt the Horns first and do not like them you can only retreat with a sense of failure. The other way the Tom is a fine climb, Sgurr Mhor (‘sgurr-vor’) even better and the Horns can then be studied from the top of the main summit and a decision made. If you decide on retreat at this stage, you have climbed two Munros and you need not return by the way you came if you still want to see more of the Horns without traversing their airy up and down narrow summit ridges.

Don’t be put off by the fact that every hill walker visiting the region climbs Beinn Alligin. It is a fine mountain, a ‘must’, gives you two Munros and is never busy.

Leave your car at the Beinn Alligin car park (NG869576). Cross the road as you leave the car park and follow the path on the west side of the river. This path has had some work done to it in order to try and reduce the erosion, so please stay on it and not walk around the mud as this just makes things worse. The path soon leads to a deer fence which has a stile over it. Follow the path up between the rock outcrops until arriving on a flatter section. All that remains now is to aim for the base of the corrie.

As you enter the bowl the path picks up again and you now ascend this magnificent stony corrie. As you near the top of the bowl the tendency is to be drawn on half-left where the path peters out, whereas the summit is more to the right (north-northeast), but it does not matter as you come onto a broad flat plateau either way when the gently rising summit cone declares itself. The ascent of the snowfield, which lingers on this corrie and can become glaciated, can be dangerous.

(It is also a simple matter to get yourself down all the way from Sgurr Mhor if you happen to get misted out while up there, as you simply follow the obvious easy ridge southwest and south as far as the cairned summit of the Tom. The only place that needs a careful compass bearing is from the summit of the Tom to the top of the bowl. One has to descend again more to the right than one tends to imagine, so obey your compass. Once in the bowl it can only deliver you safely, if roughly, onto the lower slopes and thence back to the path or the road, but low cloud and mist are below the bowl anyway. So, as you stand on the Tom’s fine cairned summit with impressive views – not only of Sgurr Mhor’s plunging precipices but beyond them north as far as An Teallach and southwest to the northern aspect of Liathach – it is a good moment to take a retrospective compass bearing to the upper part of the corrie from whence you have just come if the weather seems changeable. If that is ‘it’ for you, you have achieved two Munros and can return at leisure the way you came. To others, Sgurr Mhor with its huge cleft will beckon irresistibly.)

The ridge (1 mile) from Tom na Gruagaich to Sgurr Mhor is very fine, adequately broad not to cause the slightest anxiety, and easy going. You descend a bit steeply at first from the Tom with sheer precipices to your right, but you are never close enough to them to cause any anxiety. Just before you reach the grassy flat part of the ridge there is one small obstacle: you have to descend a piece of rock face no higher than a door, but smooth. The young do not notice it and couples of any ages simply help each other up and down it, but alone you will either have to take a chancy drop of a couple of feet or take to the unpleasantly steep scree to your left (precipices to your right) to get round it. But surmount this little difficulty you must, as the rest of the way to the very fine summit of Sgurr Mhor (and your second Munro) is easy and should not be missed (and you do not have to return this way if you do not wish to).

On your way to the summit of Sgurr Mhor an intermediate bump presents itself. Go over the top for the best views in fine weather, but keep a little below on its northwest side on windy days. It is easy going on a path to the top now but allow a few minutes to take the diversionary path to the right which leads to the great cleft on the south face of this mountain so you can gaze down its awesome depths. Before you make the final ascent, note that you have 800ft of grass slopes on your left (west-northwest) leading to the An Reidh-choire. This is your alternative way down if you do not fancy the Horns and also prefer not to go back to Tom na Gruagaich (see below). From the summit you have a panoramic view of the Horns. There are three of them, the smallest (and furthest from you) having a sub-pimple making it, in fact, a small fourth Horn.

I am not recommending the traverse of the Horns to the modest hill walker because it involves some fairly easy clambering in somewhat exposed positions, but the young and experienced will enjoy it. I would say it rates about with Helvellyn’s Striding Edge, though different in character. You will have to make an assessment from the Sgurr to have a closer look. You can always retreat and take the easy slopes from the saddle southwest of the summit and then walk round the Horns (see below) at a low level by the Loch Toll nam Biast (NG870620).

The ascent of the first Horn and descent from the second are the steepest. The traverse of the first is along the crest of a long ridge but is only dangerous if iced or in high winds. The descent from the second Horn is steep and rough but wide. As you approach the third, smallest Horn an apparent impasse presents in the form of a 15ft rock face, but a small path to the right leads quickly to a rock gully and a moderate scramble up it leading to the summit cairn. From there it is easy and safe going along the crest to a sub-pimple and thence to the broad southeast shoulder. It is better to do this than to keep on this traverse path which bypasses this Horn on the south side, as it is poor in quality and crosses steep unstable ground.

After completing the last Horn you descend by steep, rough ground to a broad flat shoulder. The path and cairns lead to the extreme east end and a steep, very rough and eroded descent down its final slopes; it is easier and more pleasant to go directly southwest and south-southwest down more gentle grass slopes to your right, commencing among boulders, swinging east again to join the path for a final 2½-mile walk to the car park. (Poucher indicates this alternative descent route on Plate 114, Route 46, in his book The Scottish Peaks [Constable].) The other way is for insensitive boots and leathery bottoms.

If you are an inexperienced and timid climber but have an experienced companion, take 30ft of light climbing rope, a proper harness and karabiner so that he or she can help you up and down the awkward bits, and you will enjoy the trip. Young hill walkers experience no difficulties in traversing the Horns.

Alternative descent If you elect not to tackle the Horns your pleasures are by no means over. Descend again to the lowest point of the saddle below (southwest) of Sgurr Mhor and descend northwest down the easy grass slopes to level ground. Now continue your expedition by walking north and then east, keeping close to the crags of Sgurr Mhor. Keep south of Loch Toll nam Biast, but north of the two subsequent small lochans, though this doesn’t matter much. This, and the rest of the walk round the Horns, is simply the reverse of that described in W2 (walk round Beinn Alligin). Alternatively (but not so good) is to walk southwest and then south round the west side of Tom na Gruagaich, also described in W2.