The Saddle
Encyclopedia
The Saddle is one of the great Scottish
mountain
s; seen from the
site of the Battle of Glen Shiel
it forms (with Faochag) one of the best-known views in the Highlands
. It is in the Highland
local government area, on the boundary between the counties of Inverness-shire
and Ross and Cromarty
.
The mountain provides exciting and challenging climbing. The traverse of the Forcan Ridge — in winter or summer — is one of the classic Scottish mountain expeditions. The mountain's name refers to the shape of the summit ridge when seen from Glen Shiel
with the twin summits and ridge in between resembling a saddle. The mountain was originally known by its Gaelic
name of An Dìollaid but this has now been lost through common usage of its English
translation and it is now one of the few mountains in highland Scotland with an English name.
just before the old quarry
near Shiel Bridge
. A stalker
's path leads up westwards to a ridge at about 500 m, just below the outlying top of Biod an Fhithich. From here the route turns south and climbs steeper ground to the foot of the Forcan Ridge.
From here the route continues westwards up and over Sgurr nan Forcan and so up to the main summit. This section is often regarded one of the best ridge walks in Scotland. There is no technical rock-climbing on the ridge, but a good head for heights, appropriate footwear, and some scrambling
ability are required. (In winter a rope may be needed to safeguard the descent from the ridge.)
The Saddle has two summits: the westerly one has a trig point
, but it is not obvious which one is the true summit. Munro
baggers had better climb both. To descend back to the starting point, one can either retrace the ascent route, or drop south and then south east to reach the Bealach Coire Mhalagain, at . From here one can continue to Sgurr na Sgine
or follow the line of an old dry-stone dyke northeast to get back to the top of the stalker's path to Glen Shiel.
The walker not wishing to combine the ascent of The Saddle with Sgurr na Sgine will find that a rewarding day can be had by continuing westwards over the smaller tops of The Saddle and descending to Shiel Bridge
about five kilometres northwest of the starting point above.
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...
mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s; seen from the
site of the Battle of Glen Shiel
Battle of Glen Shiel
The Battle of Glen Shiel was a battle in Glen Shiel, in the West Highlands of Scotland on 10 June 1719, between British government troops and an alliance of Jacobites and Spaniards, resulting in a victory for the government forces. It was the last close engagement of British and foreign troops on...
it forms (with Faochag) one of the best-known views in the Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. It is in the Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
local government area, on the boundary between the counties of Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
and Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
.
The mountain provides exciting and challenging climbing. The traverse of the Forcan Ridge — in winter or summer — is one of the classic Scottish mountain expeditions. The mountain's name refers to the shape of the summit ridge when seen from Glen Shiel
Glen Shiel
Glen Shiel is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.The glen runs approximately 9 miles from north-west to south-east, from sea level at the village of Shiel Bridge and Loch Duich to the Cluanie Inn at the western end of Loch Cluanie and the start of Glenmoriston.W. H...
with the twin summits and ridge in between resembling a saddle. The mountain was originally known by its 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....
name of An Dìollaid but this has now been lost through common usage of its English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation and it is now one of the few mountains in highland Scotland with an English name.
Ascent
The usual approach is to park beside the A87A87 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 before the old quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
near Shiel Bridge
Shiel Bridge
Shiel Bridge is a village on the south east mouth of Loch Duich and confluence of the small loch in Loch Shiel and the River Shiel, in Lochalsh, Scottish Highlands and is in the council area of Highland....
. A stalker
Stalker
-In media:* Stalker , a 1995 dark ambient album by Lustmord & Robert Rich, inspired by the film* Stalker , an episode of the American television series CSI...
's path leads up westwards to a ridge at about 500 m, just below the outlying top of Biod an Fhithich. From here the route turns south and climbs steeper ground to the foot of the Forcan Ridge.
From here the route continues westwards up and over Sgurr nan Forcan and so up to the main summit. This section is often regarded one of the best ridge walks in Scotland. There is no technical rock-climbing on the ridge, but a good head for heights, appropriate footwear, and some scrambling
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
ability are required. (In winter a rope may be needed to safeguard the descent from the ridge.)
The Saddle has two summits: the westerly one has a trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
, but it is not obvious which one is the true summit. 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...
baggers had better climb both. To descend back to the starting point, one can either retrace the ascent route, or drop south and then south east to reach the Bealach Coire Mhalagain, at . From here one can continue to Sgurr na Sgine
Sgurr na Sgine
Sgurr na Sgine is a Scottish mountain situated eight kilometres south of Shiel Bridge in the Glenshiel Forest at the lower end of Glen Shiel in the Highland District.- Overview :...
or follow the line of an old dry-stone dyke northeast to get back to the top of the stalker's path to Glen Shiel.
The walker not wishing to combine the ascent of The Saddle with Sgurr na Sgine will find that a rewarding day can be had by continuing westwards over the smaller tops of The Saddle and descending to Shiel Bridge
Shiel Bridge
Shiel Bridge is a village on the south east mouth of Loch Duich and confluence of the small loch in Loch Shiel and the River Shiel, in Lochalsh, Scottish Highlands and is in the council area of Highland....
about five kilometres northwest of the starting point above.