Ciste Dhubh is a mountain situated in the Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 Highlands between Glen Shiel and Glen Affric

Glen Affric

right|300px|thumb|Glen AffricGlen Affric is a glen south-west of the village of Cannich in the Highland region of Scotland, some to the west of Loch Ness. The River Affric runs along its length, passing through Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin .It used to be part of the lands of the Clan...

. It is a long distance from any centres of population, with Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...

 being almost 30 kilometres away to the west north-west.

Overview

The mountain reaches a height of 979 metres (3212 feet) and is classed as a Munro

Munro

A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...

 and a Marilyn

Marilyn (hill)

A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...

 hill. It is generally associated with the Glen Shiel mountains to the west, although it is the most isolated of that group and is often climbed separately. Ciste Dhubh translates from the Gaelic

Scottish Gaelic language

Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....

 as “Black Chest”; one possible explanation of this is that the mountain's summit rocks often show as dark in colour when viewed from a distance even in good light conditions (see picture). The mountain should not be confused with another Munro, Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe

Sgurr na Ciste Dhuibhe

Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe is a Scottish mountain situated on the northern side of Glen Shiel, 27 kilometres south east of Kyle of Lochalsh in the Highland council area.- Overview :...

, seven kilometres to the west.

Geography

Ciste Dhubh has a prominent pointed peak with flanks which are predominantly grassy with some craggy areas on its northern slopes. The summit is precipitous and rocky, and the southern ridge is steep and in places quite narrow, it offers few dangers for walkers but care is needed in high winds or under winter conditions. The mountain also has ridges to the north west and north which descend to upper Glen Affric. There are two small corrie

Cirque

Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...

s on either side of the northern ridge. Ciste Dhubh falls to deep glens on all sides except to the south where the mountain is connected to the adjoining Munro of Aonach Meadhoin

Aonach Meadhoin

Aonach Meadhoin is a Munro mountain situated in the Kintail region of Scotland. It stands on the northern side of Glen Shiel some 31 kilometres south east of Kyle of Lochalsh.- Overview :...

 by a col

Mountain pass

A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...

 with a height of 591 metres called the Bealach a’ Choinich (Pass of the Bog). This pass, which lives up to its translated name, is strategically important as it also connects to the adjacent Corbett of Am Bathach

Am Bathach

Am Bàthach is a Scottish mountain situated at the head of Glen Shiel, at the western end of Loch Cluanie some 38 kilometres south east of Kyle of Lochalsh.-Overview:...

 and is vital to the walker who wants to climb the mountain with either or both of these adjoining hills.

All drainage from Ciste Dhubh finds its way to the east coast of Scotland over 80 kilometres away. This is surprising for a mountain which stands only 15 kilometres from Loch Duich

Loch Duich

Loch Duich is a sea loch situated on the western coast of Scotland, in the Highlands.-History:In 1719, British forces burned many homesteads along the loch’s shores in the month preceding the Battle of Glen Shiel....

 on the west coast. The mountains north, east and west flanks fall into deep valleys which contain the streams which form the head waters of the River Affric and takes water away north east to the Beauly Firth

Beauly Firth

The Beauly Firth is a firth in northern Scotland. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly and at the other by Inverness . The Kessock Ferry has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century...

. Drainage from the southern slopes of the mountain goes south to Loch Cluanie

Loch Cluanie

Loch Cluanie is a loch in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland at the south-east end of Glen Shiel. It is a reservoir, contained behind the Cluanie Dam, constructed by Mitchell Construction and completed in 1957 as part of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board's Glenmoriston project to...

 and then east via the River Moriston and Loch Ness

Loch Ness

Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...

 to the Moray Firth

Moray Firth

The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...

.

Ascents

The most common ascent of Ciste Dhubh starts on the A87 road

A87 road

The A87 is a major road in the Highland region of Scotland.It runs west from its junction with the A82 road at Invergarry , along the north shores of Loch Garry and Loch Cluanie, then down through Glen Shiel and along Loch Duich to Kyle of Lochalsh before crossing the Skye Bridge to Kyleakin,...

 just east of the Cluanie Inn on the shores of Loch Cluanie at grid reference . From here it is a four kilometre walk up the valley of the Allt a’ Chaorainn Bhig to reach the Bealach a’ Choinich; an alternative way of reaching this bealach is by climbing the Corbett of Am Bathach which stands to the east of the valley. From the bealach it is a steep ascent up grassy slopes until the southern ridge is reached which is followed to Ciste Dhubh’s rocky summit. It is possible to ascend the mountain from the Alltbeithe youth hostel in upper Glen Affric by climbing the northern ridge.
section

The return to Loch Cluanie can include the adjoining Munro of Aonach Meadhoin, which is a 400 metre ascent from the Bealach a’ Choinich. The view from the top of Ciste Dhubh is very good: the mountain is surrounded by higher peaks but none of them are too close (Ciste Dhubh has a prominence of 388 metres) and the nearby mountains of Mullach Fraoch-choire, A' Chràlaig

A' Chràlaig

A' Chràlaig is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands, north of Loch Cluanie and south of Glen Affric. It is the highest peak along Glen Shiel and can be easily climbed from the Cluanie Inn on the A87...

 and Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan

Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan

Sgùrr nan Ceathreamhnan is a Scottish mountain that is situated in the remote and lonely mountainous country between Glen Affric and Glen Elchaig, some 30 kilometres east of Kyle of Lochalsh in the Highland region...

are well seen in detail.