Climbing Suilven, the iconic mountain of Sutherland.

Having passed by the mountain so many times, it was with much anticipation when I set forth along the wooded glen of the River Kirkaig to start the ascent of Suilven.

After my earlier scramble up An Teallach, Suilven was another mountain of dreams and one that I had longed to climb.

Suilven rises from a base of Lewisian gneiss as a sanstone peak. A peak that now lies above the ice sheets of the ice age, looking down on the scene from Suiven’s summit you can almost imagine how it was formed over many millions of years.

It was a long walk to the base, approximately seven miles, the first section up and alongside the falls of Kirkaig was wonderful with the wild flowers of spring and early summer in abundance, especially the orchids.

Once up on the plateaux like moorland it was a relaxing section walking alongside Loch Fionn before reaching the foot of Suilven where a huge slope of scree was the greeting.

Quite a challege it was to slog up this 1000 metres or so of scree before reaching the bealach lying  between the two peaks of Suilven, Meall Beagh to the east and Caistel Liath to the north west.

Taking the western route it was a short scramble up to the peak and from there the views were outstanding, to the west looking out to sea and the hills of Coigach then down and along, across the moor land of Assynt to the mountans Cul Mohr and Cul Beag. it was a breathtaking moment to savour.