Things to do around Kilchoan - Sgurr Dhomhnuill highest point on the peninsula

Sgurr Dhomhnuill from Druim Garbh

Last month we had the finest little mountain in the west. Now we have the highest mountain, not in the west but on the peninsula, Sgurr Dhomhnuill You have to be an experienced hill walker for this one, its a long walk in and a long walk out almost completely free of footpaths, very rough under foot with steep scrambling so beware. Choose a dry, windless day like yesterday.

Sgurr Dhomhnuill is more " around Strontian" than Kilchoan, its an hour driving to the highest point on the road between Strontian and Polloch, you can park slightly off the road opposite the telephone mast. If you are elderly and slow like me prepare yourself  for eight to nine hours of very hard going.

Ben Nevis and Glencoe

The rewards are splendid. Yesterday the silence ( no wind) was only broken by rutting stags bellowing below us in Glen Scaddle. From the peak  there is a 360 degree panorama from Schiehallion to Ben Nevis then the peaks of Rum, closer to home the view of Ben Resipole is unfamiliar, the overall impression is of wild, wild country.

In Kirstie Shirra's Cicerone guide, " Scotland's Best Small Mountains" she describes the NW ridge of Sgurr Dhomhnuill as "steep" it is, very, very steep grass and rock, you have to track the foot prints of earlier climbers to find a

Ben Resipole, Loch Sunart and Loch Sheil

way up. We decided not to retrace our steps but to carry on down SE ridge to Druim Leac a Sgiathain. It was a good move, so was the tea and cake at the Ariundle Centre still open at 5.00 pm on Sunday.