Hiking Stac Pollaidh, Scottish Highland
Hiking up Stac Pollaidh reaches some of the best views in the highlands of Scotland. Walking up this mountain in the northwest highlands of Scotland is amazing
The views are amazing from the outset, but one thing to be aware of is the midges!
They were horrendous, which made the walk much less enjoyable.
But the views were amazing, overlooking Loch Lurgainn and Loch Sionasgaig on either side with panoramic views of them both.
AND wild stag!
Where is Stac Pollaidh?
Stac Pollaidh is in the northwest area of the highlands of Scotland in between Loch Lurgainn and Loch Sionasgaig
Its only a 25-minute drive from Ullapool heading north.
How to Get to Stac Pollaidh
Car park post code: IV26 2XY
What3Words: ///explored.uniform.skid
The walk itself has its own car park at the bottom of the mountain. Heading north out of Ullapool on the A835, continue through Ardmair until just before Drumrunie, which is a tiny village (really just a few houses)
Take the left onto a smaller road after your cross the river Runie. Loch Lurgainn will start to appear on your left-hand side. You will then come to the car park on your left.
The car park itself isn't particularly big, maybe enough for 20-30 cars. But when Ed and I went, it was only half full. I can imagine it could be fuller on warmer and clearer days but you shouldn't have an issue.
There is also an infrequent bus which leaves from Ullapool - 811.
Prepare for the Midges
Walking up Stac Pollaidh was apart of our North Coast 500 road trip! Travelling around Scotland in the summer means one thing. Midges. Every time we go somewhere new I read online about driving and camping before we go. And I was so happy we did. We get midges in England too, but not to the extent of Scotland
If you're near any form of stagnant water - which Loch's are, then beware. There can be thousands of them and they are truly a pain in the arse.
In prep for camping in Scotland, we always buy the best midge spray we can find. It is the Smidge Insect Repellent which was recommended by a lot of army personnel and others who have camped and travelled to Scotland.
Personally, I think it worked rather well. Especially when just casually walking. But, walking up Stac Pollaidh was horrendous. At the beginning of the walk, we saw a man with a hat and a bug net, and we thought that was over the top
Holy shit were we wrong. The more we walked up the worse it got. Everywhere I looked there were midges all over the ground, in the air, all over my arms and face
During a walk, I always end up doing the same thing. Start in loads of layers and strip off during the walk as when you're walking you obviously get hotter. Well, the higher we got I had to put more and more layers on because the midges were so much
They really ruined the hike at the time because we weren't that prepared. Although, I didn't actually get bitten (probably due to smidge!) considering how much they were on us
So suggestion number 2, midge spray + bug hat. We thought it was too much at first but we definitely could have done with it. The hike would have been much more enjoyable and we would have been able to enjoy the views so much more
Walking up Stac Pollaidh
Walking up Stac Pollaidh begins just across the road from the car park. Once you cross the road there is a small hill and a gate. Once you pass through the gate it is a continuous ascend up from there
The walk itself is short and only 2.75 miles/4.5km. But it is a continuous steep walk from there and was actually much harder than anticipated.
When Ed and I did this walk, my fitness wasn't too great. We weren't doing many walks and I wasn't fitting in much exercise so I had to stop a lot. I believe I would be 100% better now since I do so much more exercise and walking and also have lost a lot of weight.
It begins as a path, then steps the majority of the way up. Some parts aren't as wide and you have to walk single file. As you continue uphill there are views of Sgurr Tuath across Loch Lurgaiin and of Cul Beag to the east
There is a path to the left but this is the way back down. The main path contours around the mountain. You pass through another gate in the deer fence and continue through the open moorland
We got a chance to see two stag's just grazing on the grassland. We feel so lucky to have seen them, and they didn't run off for a while so I could get some good pictures
These ones in particular I think were used to the occasional human so weren't too stunned when they saw us but rather had a stroll away.
The path starts to curve round to the right, around the side of Stac Polliadh. Once your near the top, there is a fork in the road. The path to the left goes up to the ridge
If you're brave enough, you can try and scramble your way to the top. By this point, I was pissed off with the midges and didn't, but Ed did and said the views were amazing
The views just get better and better as you continue walking up Stac Pollaidh. The scramble was quite difficult and needs your full attention, there also isn't much space up there so may have to be courteous of others
Once you reach the top, you can see a 360-degree view of the surrounding Scottish highlands. On a clear sunny day, you can also see the Summer Isles. The official summit of Stac Pollaidh is off-limits to normal walkers as it is more difficult to reach.
Once you start to descend back down the mountain, you can walk back down the path to the junction of the circuit path. You can turn left to continue walking around the base or descend the same way you came
Eventually (by taking the path to the left) you will go through a gate in the deer fence and re-join the downward path towards the car park.
Walking up Stac Polliadh was an interesting experience. I found it a fairly difficult walk (bad fitness then) but the views were most definitely worth it
The only thing that let it down were the midges but we should have been more prepared since we were surrounded by water on all fronts. We had the ability to see stag's up close and definitely see some of the best views in the highlands of Scotland
