An Teallach

It's been four years since I was last on An Teallach (The Forge). The Gaelic name perhaps comes from the view of Toll an Lochain with the sun shining into it, when it glows a gorgeous warm red-brown.

This iconic mountain rises above Little Loch Broom in the Northwest Highlands, and is surely one of the grandest hills in Britain. The day these pictures were taken was my third attempt to climb the two Munros of An Teallach. On the first two occasions there was high wind and rain; a bad combination on the exposed summit ridges.




I finally managed to climb the hill on a May day of sultry and humid heat. The route up from Corrie Hallie was a sweaty slog until the shoulder below Sail Liath where a slight breeze was welcome. The scrambling across the Corrag Buidhe pinnacles is sensationally exposed but not difficult - the view down to Loch Toll an Lochain (loch of the hollow of the Lochan!) from Lord Berkely's Seat is breathtaking, not least because of the overhang of this large pinnacle




I couldn't resist including this boulder in a picture - it so resembles a pair of buttocks! Sgurr Fiona, Lord Berkeley's Seat and the Corrag Buidhe pinnacles are all visible. The Torridonian Sandstone was bouncing back the warmth of the sun, and I got back to Dundonnel with a fair glow on my face from the heat of the Forge. What better way to round off the ascent than a bottle of An Teallach ale?

Four years is too long - I must revisit this superb hill again soon