Stac Pollaidh

Stac Pollaidh rises alone above Loch Lurgainn in Coigach, its serrated ridge of sandstone pinnacles visible from miles around and instantly recognisable even to people who don’t know its name. At only 612m it’s a fraction of the height of the Munros further east, but it’s one of the most rewarding short hillwalks in Scotland for exactly that reason: the effort-to-reward ratio is about as good as Highland walking gets.

From the car park at Loch Lurgainn, a steep path climbs directly towards the ridge, splitting after a couple of hundred metres into two options that rejoin higher up. The going is steep and, in the upper section, loose underfoot. The Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland maintains the path here, rebuilding and draining it against the erosion that comes with a hill this popular and this steep, and the car park was enlarged to roughly four times its old capacity after the North Coast 500 route brought the traffic. An eastern top is reachable by a clear path without difficulty and gives most of the view for relatively little risk; the true summit, further along the ridge, needs scrambling over exposed rock and pinnacles, and is a serious step up in seriousness rather than a natural extension of the walk to the east top.

Most walkers treat the two tops as two different outings and stop at the eastern one, which is itself a fine objective with wide views over Coigach, Assynt and the sea lochs to the west. The full circuit back to the car park, taking in both paths, covers well under 5km, so this is a half-day walk at most, but a strenuous one: short distance and serious ascent make it feel harder underfoot than the numbers alone suggest, and the exposed scrambling to the true top isn’t for anyone uneasy with heights or loose rock. It suits a walker who wants a Highland summit view inside half a day, and who is content to stop at the east top. It does not suit anyone unsteady on loose ground, and the true summit does not suit anyone without scrambling experience. For the same Assynt scale from a path with none of the exposure, Corrieshalloch Gorge is 40 minutes south on the A835.