Photographs, map and route description of a ridge walk over The Fannichs in the North West Highlands of Scotland

Location: Highlands
Maps: OS Landranger 20
Distance: 11 miles / 18km
Time: 7-9 hours
Terrain: Paths and open hillside, steep in places

The track that runs up towards the Fannichs from the A835 Garve to Ullapool road follows an enormous pipeline that diverts the water ﬂow over the watershed to Loch Droma and the Glascarnoch hydro scheme.
The track from Loch Droma eventually breaks free from the pipeline at a little dam and sub-station and follows the Allt a‘ Mhadaidh over the peat hags to Loch a‘ Mhadaidh. To the right Beinn Liath Mhor Fannaich ( 3139ft / 954m ) rises at the end of the craggy ridge that connects it to Sgurr Mor, at 3645ft / 1111m the highest of the nine Munros of the Fannichs Deer Forest. Behind lies Meall a‘ Chrasgaidh ( 3064ft /934m ), with a view from its grassy corrie over the length of the glen back to Loch Droma and the high pass of the Dirrie More over which the A835 runs.
Reaching the cairn on Meall a'Chrasgaidh, the ﬁrst Munro of the day, to the west An Teallach stands in splendid isolation. Further north lies a chain of icons - Ben More Coigach, Stac Pollaidh, Cul Mor and Cul Beag, Suilven, Canisp, Quinaig and the hills of Assynt.
The twisting ridge from Meall a‘ Chrasgaidh, over the subsidiary top of Cam na Criche and on to the steep slopes of Sgurr Mor, is notable for the views across to Sgurr Nan Clach Geala, without doubt the ﬁnest of the Fannichs. Another high ridge, the Am Blachdaich, connects it to the Chrasgaidh / Sgurr Mor ridge, and yet another ridge rims south from its summit to another Munro, Sgurr nan Each.
Two other Munros,. An Colleachan and Meall Gorm, lie southeast of Sgurr Mor and are best climbed from Loch Fannich in the south.
Heading for Beinn Liath Mhor Fannaich, the ﬁnal top of a superb high-level circuit of Loch a'Mhadaidh, a stalkers' path runs across the western ﬂanks of the hill and from there it is a short, steep climb to the summit and a view across the Dirrie More to the Beinn Dearg and the distant Strath Mulzie hills.

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