Sgorr na Diollaid from Glen Cannich

Glen Cannich

The A831 heads through Strathglass and Glen Urquhart, connecting Cannich with Beauly and Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness.

In Cannich, by the traffic Lights aside the bridge over the River Cannich, a narrow road signposted to Glen Cannich and Mullardoch heads uphill. Drive up this as it climbs then drops down to the River Cannich. The road follows the river upstream and crosses it via a metal-truss bridge. Over the bridge, follow the road for a further 1km to a corner with some roadside parking.

Alternative parking can be made just to the east of the bridge. There are signs discouraging parking by the entrance to the farm buildings at Muchrachd on the other side of the bridge.

Sgorr na Diollaid from pt 777

Looking north from the roadside to the skyline ahead, the minor summit marked with spot height 777m is quite obvious. To the right of this, you should be able to pick out the rocky summit of Sgurr na Diollaid. Between the roadside and these summits, expect to hike over a fair mix of terrain !

Leave the roadside and strike due north over soggy, heather-clad ground. Some lines of rock are encountered and easily bypassed before reaching the little gorge around the Allt Charaidh .

Following the Allt Charaidh upstream, keep on the south bank of the burn, then as the river turns, stay on the east bank. Heather is gradually left behind for grass and an ATV track is met. Follow the track uphill as it crosses the Allt Charaidh then gradually fades into heather and grass.

A bearing of a tad west of north and a fair trudge uphill, sees ground cover become more stunted before a minor summit marked by a spot height of 777m is reached.

A delightful hike or run following the crest of the hill north-east, sees a few bumps going over before reaching the base of the final short climb up Sgorr na Diollaid. An easy clamber up some rock gains Sgorr na Diollaid's summit .

Descending back into Glen Cannich

The view from Sgurr na Diollaid's summit to the Strathfarrar and Monar mountains and beyond is quite superb ! About-turning on the summit for the return and Glen Cannich and towards the Mullardoch Munros appear ahead.

Retrace your steps for around 300m, then turn in a more southerly direction and descend into a coire covered in grass and heather. Further downhill, the ATV tracks used earlier are met again, from where the uphill route is followed in reverse back to the roadside.

The rocks on Sgorr na Diollaid's summit

The first time I bagged Sgorr na Diollaid was in an afternoon one January having been up Beinn a' Bhathaich Ard in the morning - they're both short, straightforward hikes ! Back then there wasn’t a sign discouraging parking by the abandoned farm gear at the entrance to Muchrachd and I headed straight up from there. There was no path up from this direction either !

The second time I aimed up Sgorr na Diollaid, Beinn a' Bhathaich Ard was again on the agenda, but this time Sgorr na Diollaid was first. Beinn a' Bhathaich Ard was second, and because on the day was a Carnethy Corbett challenge, Creag Mhor in the Cairngorms was too ! More info on the day is on the Fiona Outdoors's blog.