An Ruadh-stac is a Scottish mountain situated in the

Wester Ross Wester Ross () is an area of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the council area of Highland. The area is loosely defined, and has never been used as a formal administrative region in its own right, but is generally regarded as lying to t ...

region of the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

council area. It is located 26 km north east of

Kyle of Lochalsh Kyle of Lochalsh (from the Gaelic ''Caol Loch Aillse'', "strait of the foaming loch") is a village in the historic county of Ross-shire on the northwest coast of Scotland, located around west-southwest of Inverness. It is located on the Lo ...

Overview

An Ruadh-stac reaches a height of 892 metres (2926 feet) making it the 30th highest

Corbett Corbett may refer to: * List of Corbetts (mountains), 222 mountains in Scotland between , with prominence over * Corbett, Oregon, a community in the United States * Corbett Award, US award for athletics administrators * Corbett (surname), people w ...

,www.scotclimb.org.uk.
Gives list of Corbetts in height order. it also qualifies as a Marilyn. It is a distinguished looking mountain which is prominent in views because of its light grey coloured

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tec ...

rocks, it stands in the ancient Coulin hunting forest, an area of rough mountainous country between

Glen Carron River Carron ( gd, Carrann, IPA: �kʰaᵲən̴̪ is a west coast river in Wester Ross, in the Highlands of Scotland. The river rises in Ledgowan Forest. It gathers its head-streams through Carron Bog, then enters Loch Scaven and flows out from ...

and

Glen Torridon The Torridon Hills surround Torridon village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The name is usually applied to the mountains to the north of Glen Torridon. They are among the most dramatic and spectacular peaks in the British Isles and made ...

. The mountain is situated four km from the nearest public road but there are good stalkers paths within the deer forest which aid access to the foot of the mountain. An Ruadh-stac is closely associated with the adjoining

Munro A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nev ...

Maol Cheann-dearg Maol Cheann-Dearg is a mountain in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, between Upper Loch Torridon and Loch Carron, in the Coulags deer forest in Wester Ross. It is one of three Munros in this area (the others being Sgorr Ruadh and Beinn Liath M ...

with which it is often climbed. The mountain's

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

name translates as the Red Stack or Red Conical Hill; this is slightly confusing and misleading, as it is invariably seen as a light-grey hill due to its quartzite rocks.

Hamish Brown Hamish Brown M.B.E. FRSGS is a professional writer, lecturer and photographer specialising in mountain and outdoor topics. He is best known for his walking exploits in the Scottish Highlands, having completed multiple rounds of the Munros and be ...

comments on the name thus: “An Ruadh-stac is a grey hill, sometimes touched white by the sun but never red like its ruddy, bald headed neighbour (Maol Cheann-dearg).”''"Climbing The Corbetts"'',

, Page 282 Gives quote on name, rock climbing and geographical details.

Geography

An Ruadh-stac has the classic triangular mountain shape formed by three steep ridges; the NE ridge is the least steep and the one usually used for ascent and descent by walkers. This ridge drops to the

Bealach A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migra ...

a’ Choire Ghairbh, which links the mountain to Maol Cheann-dearg, which stands 2 km to the north across Coire an Ruidh Staic. The south ridge leads over the subsidiary top of Ruadh Stac Beag (758 metres) before descending towards Glen Carron over rough, boggy ground. The north and west side of the mountain are ringed by steep crags, making the NW ridge out of bounds for walkers. The mountain's finest geographical feature is the north face, a precipitous rock wall which shows off the mountain's layered geology when viewed from a distance. These crags rise over 400 metres from the shore of Loch Coire an Ruaidh-staic and have received the attention of rock climbers, with

Tom Patey Thomas Walton Patey (20 February 1932 – 25 May 1970) was a Scottish climber, mountaineer, doctor and writer. He was a leading Scottish climber of his day, particularly excelling on winter routes. He died in a climbing accident at the age of 38. ...

and

Chris Bonington Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL (born 6 August 1934) is a British mountaineer. His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest. Early life and expeditions Bonington's father, ...

pioneering a route in 1960. The lower slopes on the SE side of the mountain are composed of ice-polished slabs dotted with long flowing mounds of debris; this is fluted moraine, deposited from a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

. The mounds are less than four metres in height but up to 400 metres in length.Wiley Interscience.
A study of fluted moraines in the Torridon area, NW Scotland. The mountain's visual attraction is further added to by the presence of four small lochs around its NE flanks; they are all on different levels. One of these lochs, Loch a’ Mhadaidh Ruadh, is rated as one of the most beautiful in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

, it is located on the Bealach a’ Choire Ghairbh and is enclosed by walls of quartzite rock, giving it an almost artificial look.''"100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains"'', Ralph Storer, Pages 132 “One of the most beautiful lochans in the highlands”. All drainage from the mountain makes the short journey to the west coast of Scotland, either going directly west to Upper

Loch Torridon Loch Torridon ( gd, Loch Thoirbheartan) is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland in the Northwest Highlands. The loch was created by glacial processes and is in total around 15 miles (25 km) long. It has two sections: Upper Loch Torridon ...

or SE to Glen Carron and then Loch Carron.

Ascents and view

The summit of An Ruadh-stac is a long way from any road, but the closest starting point is on the A890 road at Coulags in Glen Carron at grid reference . This route follows the footpath north up the valley of the Fionn-abhainn before crossing the river and going west and climbing up to the Bealach a’ Choire Ghairbh. From the bealach it is a tough 340-metre climb up rough slopes of

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically ...

and slabby rock to the summit. It is possible to climb the mountain by a longer route from Glen Torridon starting from Annat at .''"The Corbetts And Other Scottish Hills"'', Scottish Mountaineering Club, Page 178 Gives geographical and route information. The summit is littered with quartzite boulders, with the highest point marked by a cairn of rocks and gives a view which includes the Skye Cuillin to the SW, Upper Loch Torridon appears next to

Beinn Damh Beinn Damh (or ''Ben Damph'') is a Scotland, Scottish mountain situated in the wild mountainous area between Upper Loch Torridon and Glen Carron, 25 kilometres north northeast of Kyle of Lochalsh. Beinn Damh is classed as a List of Corbetts (moun ...

to the NW while the Torridon hills are further round to the north. By exploring the summit plateau further it is possible to look 1000 feet down the cliffs of the north face to Loch Coire an Ruaidh-staic.''"Torridon - A Walker‘s Guide"'', Peter Barton", Pages 154 Gives general details on mountain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:An Ruadh-Stac Corbetts Marilyns of Scotland Mountains and hills of the Northwest Highlands Mountains and hills of Highland (council area) Climbing areas of Scotland Torridon