Sgùrr a' Mhaoraich

Sgùrr a' Mhaoraich
Sgùrr a' Mhaoraich's summit seen from Sgùrr Coire nan Eiricheallach
Highest point
Elevation1,027 m (3,369 ft)[1]
Prominence706 m (2,316 ft)
Parent peakGleouraich
ListingMunro, Marilyn
Coordinates57°06′20″N 05°19′50″W / 57.10556°N 5.33056°W / 57.10556; -5.33056
Naming
English translationpeak of the shellfish
Language of nameGaelic
PronunciationScottish Gaelic: [ˈs̪kuːrˠ ə ˈvɯːɾɪç]
English approximation: SKOOR-ə-VOO-rish
Geography
Map
LocationHighland, Scotland
OS gridNG983065
Topo mapOS Landranger 33
Climbing
Easiest routewalk

Sgùrr a' Mhaoraich is a Scottish mountain located to the north of Loch Quoich in the northwestern highlands. It has a height of 1027 m (3369 ft) and is classed as a Munro. Viewed from Kinloch Hourn to the west, or from the north, it shows large, steep, rocky flanks with a complex series of ridges and corries, but like its neighbours such as Gleouraich, its southern side is gentler and grassier.[2]

The mountain was originally known as Sgùrr a' Mhoraire, meaning peak of the landowner, but has been changed on modern maps to Sgùrr a' Mhaoraich, which may be derived from the Gaelic maorach meaning shellfish. This may be a reference to the hill's ribbed summit, which has been said to resemble a shell.[3]

The mountain is most commonly climbed from the shores of Loch Quioch to the south. A stalker's path leads up the Bac nan Canaichean ridge to the subsidiary top of Sgùrr Coire nan Eiricheallach (891 m or 2,923 ft), which is connected to the main summit by a 1.5 km ridge, which has a number of rocky outcrops which can be scrambled over or bypassed.[2] An alternative, and less frequently climbed route is from the northeast end of Glen Quoich, by way of a stalker's path which runs the length of Coire a' Carorainn and to the rocky summit of An Bathaich (892 m or 2,927 ft), and from there south to Sgùrr a' Mhaoraich via a high bealach.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "walkhighlands Sgurr a'Mhaoraich". walkhighlands.co.uk. 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b The Munros (SMC Guide), Donald Bennett et al., ISBN 0-907521-13-4
  3. ^ Trout and about on a wet day by Loch Quoich, Robin Howie, The Scotsman, 8 April 2006
  4. ^ The Munros: Scotland's Highest Mountains, Cameron McNeish, ISBN 0-947782-50-8