View source for Liathach

{{Short description|Mountain in Highland, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Liathach
| photo = Liathach from Loch Clair May 2006 - geograph.org.uk - 282854.jpg
| photo_caption = Liathach from the east
| elevation_m = 1055
| elevation_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/mountaindetails.php?qu=M&rf=954 |title=Liathach |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2019 |publisher=Hill Bagging - the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH) |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref>
| prominence_m = 957
| prominence_ref = <br /><small>[[List of mountains of the British Isles by relative height|Ranked 8th]] in [[British Isles]]</small>
| parent_peak = [[Càrn Eige]]
| listing = [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]], [[Munro]]
| translation = the Grey one
| language = [[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic]]
| pronunciation = {{IPA|gd|ˈs̪pitʲan ə ˈxɔɾʲə ˈʎeː|lang}}
| location = [[Torridon]], [[Scotland]]
| range = [[Northwest Highlands]]
| coordinates = 
| grid_ref_UK = NG929579
| topo = [[Ordnance Survey|OS]] ''Landranger'' 25
| type = 
| first_ascent = 
| easiest_route = 
}}
{{langnf|gd|'''Liathach'''|the hoary place|paren=left}}; pronounced {{IPA|gd|ˈʎiəhəx|}})<ref name="ainmean">{{cite web|url=https://www.ainmean-aite.scot/placename/liathach/ |title=Liathach |work=[[Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba]]: Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland}}</ref> is a mountain in the [[Torridon Hills]], in the [[Northwest Highlands]] of [[Scotland]]. It stands between [[Loch Torridon]] and the neighbouring mountain [[Beinn Eighe]]. The mountain is a ridge running east–west, with several peaks, and its upper half is made up of many steep rocky terraces. The highest peak is the [[Munro]] of '''Spidean a' Choire Lèith''' ('peak of the grey [[Cirque|corrie]]') at {{convert|1055|m}} high. The other Munro peak is '''Mullach an Rathain''' at {{convert|1024|m}} high.

==Geology==
[[File:Liathach - Flickr - Robert J Heath.jpg|thumb|left|The rocky terraces of Liathach seen from Beinn Eighe]]
The mountain is composed of [[Torridonian sandstone]] which forms massive near-horizontal [[stratum|strata]]. They form the numerous terraces that are obvious from afar. The rocks are mainly red and chocolate [[sandstone]]s, [[arkose]]s, [[flagstone]]s and [[shale]]s with coarse [[Conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]]s locally at the base. Some of the materials of these rocks were derived from the underlying [[Lewisian complex|Lewisian gneiss]], upon the uneven surface of which they rest, but the bulk of the material was obtained from rocks that are nowhere now exposed. Upon this ancient [[denuded]] land surface the Torridonian strata rest horizontally or with gentle [[inclination]]. Some of the peaks, such as [[Beinn Eighe]], are capped with white [[quartzite]], giving them a distinctive appearance when seen from afar. Some of the quartzite contains [[fossilized]] worm burrows and is known as ''pipe rock''. It is about 500 million years old. The Torridon [[landscape]] is itself highly [[denuded]] by [[glacial]] and [[alluvial]] action, and represents the remnants of an ancient [[peneplain]].

==Climbing==
{{GB summits start}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name={{nowrap|Mullach an Rathain}}
|Gridref=NG912577
|Height={{nowrap|1023.8 m (3,359 ft)}}
|Status={{nowrap|[[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]], [[Munro]]}}}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name=Meall Dearg
|Gridref=NG913579
|Height=955&nbsp;m (3133&nbsp;ft)
|Status=Munro Top}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name=Stob a' Choire Liath Mhòr
|Gridref=NG932581
|Height=983&nbsp;m (3225&nbsp;ft)
|Status=Munro Top}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name=Am Fasarinen
|Gridref=NG923574
|Height=927&nbsp;m (3041&nbsp;ft)
|Status=Munro Top}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name=Stùc a' Choire Dhuibh Bhig
|Gridref=NG942582
|Height=915&nbsp;m (3002&nbsp;ft)
|Status=Munro Top}}
{{end}}
Liathach has four listed "Tops" in the Munro Tables, Meall Dearg at {{convert|3133|ft|m|abbr=off}} stands off the main ridge at the end of the Northern Pinnacles which run north from Mullach an Rathain. The route along the Northern Pinnacles is considered a rock climb, although another route to the top from Coire na Caime only involves a short steep scramble on the final 50&nbsp;m to gain the ridge. [[Irvine Butterfield]] considers Meall Dearg "The most difficult top in the British Isles challenged only by the Inaccessible Pinnacle of [[Sgùrr Dearg]]".<ref name="test1">"The Munros and Tops" Page 174 Gives details of Meall Dearg.</ref><ref name="test3">"The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland" Page 223 Gives quote from Butterfield and route from Coire na Caime.</ref>  The Northern Pinnacles were first climbed in 1894 by Hinxman, Rennie and Douglas.<ref>{{cite journal|first=W.|last=Douglas|title=The Northern pinnacles of Leagach|journal=Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal|volume=3|year=1894|url=http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/smcj/smcj015/smcj01504.htm}}</ref>

Climbing the mountain including both of the above peaks is a challenging expedition; the intervening ridge is for the most part a series of rocky pinnacles known as ''Am Fasarinen'' (''The Teeth''), which reaches a height of 927 metres at the western end and is considered a Munro "top". There are few places on the ridge for descent, so once committed, the walker has little choice but to complete the entire ridge walk. The pinnacles can however be avoided by means of a narrow path that traverses the ridge on the south side. The path is very exposed, and there is much [[erosion]] at points where it crosses any of a series of [[gully|gullies]]. In winter the traverse of Liathach becomes an even more serious expedition.

== References ==
* ''The Munros and Tops'', Chris Townsend, {{ISBN|1-84018-727-1}}
* ''The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland'', [[Irvine Butterfield]], {{ISBN|0-906371-30-9}}
'''Footnotes'''
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* Liathach is at coordinates {{coord|57.564329|-5.462121|type:mountain_region:GB|display=inline,title}}

{{Torridon}}
{{British hills}}
{{Scottish Munros section 13}}

[[Category:Munros]]
[[Category:Marilyns of Scotland]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of the Northwest Highlands]]
[[Category:Torridon]]
[[Category:Climbing areas of Scotland]]
[[Category:One-thousanders of Scotland]]