Arnside Knott, Cumbria
DISCOVER Summits by the sea
Ben More Coigach, Highland
Like the prow of an ocean-going liner about to launch, Garbh Choireachan angles above the waves of Loch Broom. Close behind, and forming the bulk of this rocky ship, sails Ben More Coigach, the two tops linked by a bridge of sandstone.
From the end of the lane near the crofts of Culnacraig – just half a mile from the sea, seven miles north west of Ullapool – the massif looks about as scalable as the hull of the QE2, and as you walk closer the gradient only gets more daunting. Have faith though: there is a way up. Dashes of path sketch a just about traceable, sometimes hands-on route through rubbly ledges to the seaside end of the ridge; here you can imagine you’re Rose, soaring high above the waves, surrounded by sky. The Summer Isles speckle the sea over 2000 feet below, while a car ferry looks as tiny as a Tonka toy as it heads for the Outer Hebrides on the horizon. Thrills lie inland too. First, you cross the narrow, crenellated ridge to Ben More Coigach, its airiest spots bypassed by paths just below. Second, you stand on the summit at 2438 feet, at the highest point in the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s largest nature reserve, with views over what must be nearly all its 6000 hectares. And third, after a deep dip and climb, you reach the top of Sgùrr an Fhìdhleir which is arguably the best spot there is for admiring the island mountains, or inselbergs, of the Assynt to the north. Stac Pollaidh lies just across Loch Lurgainn, Suilven and Cùl Mòr beyond and Quinag beckons in the distance, while the sea sparkles to the side.
The Fiddler, as this peak is fondly known, presents pyramid-sharp contours to those much-admired peaks, as if competing with their eye-catching lines. But to the south-east it drops a moorland ramp back to Culnacraig, with Ben More Coigach and Loch Broom filling the prospect. And if you’re keen to explore more beside the sea, the Postie’s Path clings, often narrowly, to the cliffs round to Strathcanaird. Recently repaired, its seven miles are just part of the long route once trodden by hardy posties as they delivered mail from Ullapool to this wild Coigach peninsula.
WALK HERE: Turn to Walk 26 in this issue.
Such a little hill; such a grand view. Just 522 feet (159m) from sea to summit, Arnside Knott bumps up in the tiny Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to claim the title of ‘smallest Marilyn’ (the 1557 peaks in Britain with a prominence of 150
