Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Liathach under fresh snow above a still, reedy loch and a stand of Scots pines, its reflection in the water.
Torridon

Liathach - Spidean a' Choire Leith

A Munro of 1,055 metres, number 74 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Liathach is one of the three hills the Torridon Mountain Rescue Team calls the "Torridon triptych", with Beinn Alligin and Beinn Eighe.

Spidean a' Choire Leith is the higher of its two Munros.

The other, Mullach an Rathain, is a little under two kilometres to the west, and Beinn Eighe's two Munros are about four kilometres away to the north-east.

Liathach also carries the Am Fasarinen pinnacles, where the rescue team does its winter training. These are mountains, the team says, that draw climbers and walkers all through the year.

The ground
The Torridon Mountain Rescue Team says these mountains hold some of Scotland's longest and most testing rock and ice climbing routes, and one of its photographs shows winter training on the Am Fassarinen Pinnacles of Liathach. Read the route in full before deciding.
Scrambling
If the route you read asks for it, Mountaineering Scotland counts scrambling as potentially the most dangerous of all mountaineering activities. Its grades are set for dry summer conditions, and in anything less than ideal the ground is likely to become much more difficult and dangerous.
Under snow
The Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecasts for Torridon, and counts the mountains and corries around Liathach as core ground. Full forecasting begins on 17 December 2026.
Stalking
Stalking can take place even where no notice is posted, so follow any signs.
Summit
Grid reference NG 929 579
Bus and train
The community's local place plan of 2024 calls public transport here extremely limited: a bus between Strathcarron and Torridon on some days of the week, and the nearest station at Achnasheen. Check Traveline Scotland before counting on the bus.
Toilets and food
Fasaig and Kinlochewe both have a village shop and public toilets kept by the community, and Kinlochewe has a petrol station.
On the hill today
0° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 1,055 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

West wind to 13 mph, gusting 27
Rain, about 7 mm
Light from 7.57am to 6.17pm, ten hours

Sat 17Cloudy0° to 4° on top · 7 mph, gusts 14
Sun 18Cloudy−3° to 4° on top · 14 mph, gusts 27
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 5° on top · 3 mph, gusts 8

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: The Northwest Highlands forecast, Spidean a' Choire Leith, Northwest Highlands mountain forecast, Torridon avalanche forecast.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Photographs by paul wooding, John Chalmers and Chris curran, via Google

Given the terrain it is not surprising that the rescue situations we are faced with can be amongst the most technically demanding to be encountered in Scotland.Torridon Mountain Rescue Team, whose ground takes in Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe
Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NG 929 579
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from Liathach - Spidean a' Choire Leith yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

Tell the next person

Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.

Sign in to tell them
From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Liathach - Mullach an Rathain, Beinn Eighe - Ruadh-stac Mor, Beinn Eighe - Spidean Coire nan Clach, Beinn Liath Mhor. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Torridon Mountain Rescue Team's, Mountaineering Scotland's and, for the bus and the shops, the community's local place plan of 2024; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.