Looking east from the summit of Sgurr nan Ceannaichean

Sgùrr nan Ceannaichean is a Scottish mountain situated 13 kilometres southwest of the village of

Achnasheen Achnasheen (Gaelic ''Achadh na Sìne'') is a small village in Ross-shire in the Highland council area of Scotland. The village is situated on the River Bran at the junction of two roads built by Thomas Telford. Despite the size of the village, ...

on the southern side of Glen Carron within the Glencarron and Glenuig Forest in the

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...

district 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.

Overview

The mountain's name translates from the

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 ...

as ''Peak of the Merchants or Pedlars''. The name may be associated with a main routeway between east and west Scotland passing just to the north, Sgùrr nan Ceannaichean being a significant landmark for traders and travellers."The Magic of the Munros" Page 152 Gives translation and possible meaning. Initially classed as a

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 ...

, Sgùrr nan Ceannaichean was reclassified as a

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 Nevis ...

in 1981 after a height of 915m, obtained by aerial photogrammetry for the metric revision, appeared on the Ordnance Survey map.The Munros and Tops 1891-1997.
Confirms promotion from Corbett to Munro in 1981. In 2009, a survey by The Munro Society obtained an accurate height of 913.43 metres, reverting the mountain's status to Corbett.

Geography

Sgùrr nan Ceannaichean is a much more interesting hill than the adjoining Munro of Moruisg, its western flank is very steep and craggy as it falls to the valley of the Allt a’ Chonais and contains two deep and impressive gullies. The fine corrie of Coire Toll nam Bian stands on the north eastern side of the mountain while another lesser corrie, Coire an Tuill Bhàn, lies just east of the summit and descends south east to the valley near Glenuig Lodge. The highest point of the mountain lies on a plateau with a number of

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

s with the most southerly one being the highest point. The mountain stands on the main Scottish east-west watershed with most of the drainage going to Glen Carron and the sea at the west coast. However the eastern slopes form the head waters of the River Meig which takes water to the

Cromarty Firth The Cromarty Firth (; gd, Caolas Chrombaidh ; literally "kyles /nowiki>straits.html"_;"title="strait.html"_;"title="/nowiki>strait">/nowiki>straits">strait.html"_;"title="/nowiki>strait">/nowiki>straitsof_Cromarty.html" ;"title="strait">/no ...

on the east coast of Scotland.

Ascents

Sgùrr nan Ceannaichean is usually ascended in conjunction with the neighbouring Munro of Moruisg from a point just west of

Loch Sgamhain Loch Scaven ( Gaelic: Loch Sgamhain) is a small freshwater loch at the head of Glen Carron near the source of the River Carron, Wester Ross, Scotland. It is about southwest of Achnasheen Achnasheen (Gaelic ''Achadh na Sìne'') is a small vi ...

on the A890 at grid reference , it is possible to climb either of the hills first."The Munros" Page 188 Gives route of ascent from Loch Sgamhain. An alternative route which gives a direct ascent of Sgùrr nan Ceannaichean starts at the small hamlet of Craig (at grid reference ) and follows the valley of the Allt a' Chonais for five kilometres until a stalkers path leaves the valley and climbs steeply up the mountains southern slopes to reach the summit. The continuation to Moruisg goes north east and then north along the rim of the Coire Toll nam Bian."The Munros, Scotland's Highest Mountains" Page 176 Gives direct route from Craig.

References

* ''The Munros'', Donald Bennett et al.: Scottish Mountaineering Trust: * ''The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland'',

Irvine Butterfield Irvine Butterfield (1936–2009) was an environmentalist, hillwalker and author of several books about mountains and the outdoor environment who took a significant role in the running of organisations with such interests in Scotland. He was a go ...

, * ''Hamish’s Mountain Walk'',

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 ...

, * ''The Magic of the Munros'', Irvine Butterfield, * ''The Munros, Scotland's Highest Mountains'',

Cameron McNeish Cameron McNeish FRSGS is a Scottish wilderness hiker, backpacker and mountaineer who is an authority on outdoor pursuits. In this field he is best known as an author and broadcaster although he is also a magazine editor, lecturer and after dinn ...

, Footnotes {{DEFAULTSORT:Sgurr Nan Ceannaichean Corbetts Marilyns of Scotland Mountains and hills of the Northwest Highlands Mountains and hills of Highland (council area)