📌 Tongue, Highland
★★★★
It’s far from the highest hill in northern Scotland, but Ben Loyal’s distinctively spiky profile is instantly recognisable from other peaks around the region. The massif is often referred to as the “Queen of Scottish Mountains”, and its several granite tors make for an entertaining day out from near Tongue. The impressive northern cliffs of Sgòr Chionasaid are the ones which loom largest on the boggy ascent, but An Caisteal (The Castle) turns out to be the higher summit, with Beinn Bheag completing the tasty trio a little further south. All the tops are worth a visit, offering superb views north to the Kyle of Tongue, east to Loch Loyal, south to Ben Klibreck and west to Ben Hope. There are a couple of unavoidable burn crossings lower down which may result in wet feet – or even be impassable – after rainfall.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Ben Loyal from near Ribigill 
View from Bad Salach 
View from the Allt Lòn Malmsgaig ford 
Looking back at the ford 
Ben Hiel 
Sgòr Chionasaid’s summit “ears” 
Kyle of Tongue from the ascent 
Ben Hiel & Loch Craggie 
Ptarmigan 
Sgòr Chionasaid summit tors 
View east from Sgòr Chionasaid 
View north from Sgòr Chionasaid 
View west from Sgòr Chionasaid 
View ahead to An Caisteal 
Looking back to Sgòr Chionasaid 
An Caisteal 
Ben Loyal 
An Caisteal summit 
View north from An Caisteal 
Tors east of An Caisteal 
Beinn Bheag from An Caisteal 
An Caisteal from Beinn Bheag 
Looking west from Beinn Bheag
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at start of track to Ribigill, minor road 1 mi south of Tongue
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NC 584547
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.457522,-4.428079
❌ No public transport within 1 mi – there are infrequent buses to Tongue (1.5 mi)
🚗Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 15 km / 9 mi | ▲ 800 m | ⌛ 5.5-6.5 hr
Features: △ Sgòr Chionasaid (712 m); △ Ben Loyal – An Caisteal (765 m, Corbett); △ Ben Bheag (744 m)
⬤ Tough | Road / track for approach, becoming very boggy with two burns to ford – could be tricky in spate (footbridge marked on map for second burn no longer exists). Ascent has a wet path lower down, but mostly pathless over steep ground higher up. Ridge mostly has a faint path.
Download file for GPS➡️ Out-and-back walk: start – ford Allt Lòn Malmsgaig at 🧭 NC 581516 – Sgòr Chionosaid via west side – An Caisteal – Ben Bheag – return by outward route (repeat summits can be bypassed)
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Ptarmigan on Sgòr Chionasaid. Many cuckoos heard, sheep; cows & horses in adjacent fields.
Weather: Overcast for ascent, but brightening, becoming quite sunny later in the day. Close to freezing on the summits with a chilly wind.
May 2021
