Liathach has been on my hiking bucket list for years. Along with Aonach Eagach and An Teallach, this was up there as a solo scrambling day I really wanted to do. With Aonach Eagach in the bag a couple of years ago, I’ve been trying to find some time to get up to Torridon for a few days to make this one happen and finally, in early May 2025, I got there. An Teallach, I’m coming for you soon…
Here’s how my incredible hiking day on Liathach went and how I found its spectacular pinnacles and the two munro summits of Spidean a’ Choire Lèith and Mullach an Rathain. Data below is from my Garmin which typically always tracks more elevation and distance than AllTrails/OS Maps estimates – probably because I tend to wander off for photos quite a bit and then come back on myself!
| Hike date | 4th May 2025 |
| Weather conditions | Cold, a little breezy but dry with largely clear conditions. Some light ground snow up top |
| Distance hiked | 12.5km |
| Walking time | 8 hours 9 minutes (from start to finish including stops |
| Elevation gain total | 1,336m |
| Terrain | Very rocky |
| Hiked with | Solo |
This was spectacular. The scenery in Torridon is something else. And many of the mountain hikes there are a “sea to summit” type of hike without much elevation head start. The views were unreal. It was challenging with a grade 2 scramble involved over the pinnacles. If you choose to take the bypass instead of the pinnacles you’ll still be dealing with lots of exposure. But it was a hiking day that left me with a real sense of accomplishment and left me feeling absolutely buzzing.
Liathach Route
This is the route I took loosely, which takes in both munros along the ridge plus the pinnacles, with the option of taking the bypass path if preferred or even switching part way through.The Tiktok
Here’s the short video:@staceyhikes It would not be an exaggeration to say this hike is easily in my top three hiking days. A stunning solo hike up up to the 2 Munro summits on Liathach in Torridon. Scrambling, views and dramatic scenery made for such a memorable day and made a long drive very much worth it. I cannot wait to return to Torridon for more hiking. #HikeTok #HikingUK #Hiking #ScotlandTravel #ScotlandHiking #SoloHiker #SoloHiking #WalkItOff #AdventureTime #GetOutside ♬ Emotions – ZydSounds
The route starts from the main road and it gets steep fast. It’s such a beautiful path through from the moment you start walking. There are waterfalls throughout and the view ahead to the mountain top is as spectacular as the view behind back over Glen Torridon, which opens up more with every step you take.
This was steep and seemed to just get steeper. And not to sound like one of those people who complains about mountains being steep but this felt pretty relentless at times! I say it a lot – I hang out of my backside up the ascent every single time and this was no exception.
Towards the top into the Choire it gets a little scrambly (ungraded here and nothing too technical).
And then it just happens. You hit the first part of the ridge line and these immense views open up over Flowerdale (the area to the North of Torridon). I’m not kidding when I say they literally took my breath away. The views over Flowerdale and then back towards Glen Torridon too are utterly magic. I was absolutely blown away.
It got a little icy up top on approach from here to the summit of the first munro.
I had been expecting this as I could see the mountain from the bed in the Airbnb I was staying and when I woke up in the morning a fresh coating of snow had fallen. So I’d packed what I needed but ultimately ice was in small patches and it was mostly frost/snow patches, thus not requiring any crampons or other winter kit. Instead it just needed a little caution when scrambling.
A few more ups and downs and I finally reached the summit of the first munro – Spidean a Choire Leith.
This is when I got my first look at the ridge line I drove 8 hours and hiked (by this point) almost 3 for.
It did not disappoint.
From here, it’s a scrambly descent on a path that, in good conditions, you can make out by eye. It takes you towards a fairly narrow bealach to start your traverse of the pinnacles (or your navigation of the bypass path).
I stuck to the pinnacles here for the most part but I did (at the end) take a little wander back to check a bit of the bypass path out and it’s EXPOSED!
The pinnacles are a grade 2 scramble. I’ll write a separate post comparing them with Aonach Eagach, but in short I found the scrambling on Aonach Eagach more challeging than Liathach and more exposed for the most part.
I didn’t find the scrambling on Liathach too difficult. The exposure is real in parts, of course. And in reality, on the pinnacles and perhaps on parts of the bypass, a fall has the potential to be fatal, of course. So great care and caution should be taken.
The views throughout are, once again, spectacular.
Whichever way you go – whether bypass or pinnacles, once you get across this section, it’s a really straightforward path hike up to the summit of Mullach an Rathain.
The path is wide enough here not to feel exposed. But there are still, should you venture near the edge to take a look, some immensely steep drops that really are quite a sight to behold.
It doesn’t take long to reach the second munro summit. The views from here were utterly ludicrous:
As well as the immense views over Flowerdale, the impeccable views back over the dramatic ridge you just traversed and the wonderful views back down Glen Torridon, from here you also have epic views over Loch Torridon and the neighbouring mountain on Beinn Alligin.
The descent is a tiresome one, truth be told, starting on a steep loose scree slope. But there is a zigzag path you’ll be able to make out in good conditions and, though laborious, it’s manageable.
There was a walk back along the road at the end – a couple of kilometres. Personally, after the long and steep descent, walking on the road felt like a hug for my feet.
Honestly though, I was buzzing the whole way down despite the steep terrain because it had just been such a wonderfully spectacular hiking day.
How was Liathach?
Immense. Utterly immense.
Is Liathach Suitable for Beginners?
I’d say no here. Now of course, everyone is different and your own personal tolerance for heights etc will come into play.
But, in my opinion, even the bypass paths are very exposed and the scramble is grade 2. So if you’re keen to start scrambling ridges, I’d suggest starting with something like CMD Arête in Scotland or Striding Edge in England. But do your research!
I built up to Aonach Eagach a couple of years ago and had hoped to do this one the same summer, but couldn’t make the travel work. The scrambling isn’t overly difficult here but the exposure is significant and there’s a lot of down scrambling too.
Would I do Liathach again?
Yes. In a heartbeat. I’ll absolutely be back to Torridon and I would repeat this mountain over and over and over again.
This was just the most incredible solo hiking day!
