Torridon

The mountains here are made of Torridonian sandstone, deposited around a billion years ago, sitting on Lewisian gneiss that is up to three billion years old, among the oldest rock in Europe; several peaks are capped with white Cambrian quartzite, so the summits look snow-covered in summer. Liathach and Beinn Eighe rise directly from the roadside in a series of terraces and pinnacles, and Beinn Alligin closes the north side of the loch. Beinn Eighe was made Britain's first national nature reserve in 1951, protecting a remnant of Caledonian pinewood on its lower slopes. The area holds golden eagles, pine martens and one of the largest concentrations of mountain hares in the west. Ridge traverses here, particularly Liathach's Am Fasarinen pinnacles, are among the most serious in Britain outside Skye.

What you actually see

• The terraced sandstone - mountains built of billion-year-old rock in horizontal bands.
• The quartzite caps - white summits that look snow-covered in high summer.
• Beinn Eighe reserve - Britain's first national nature reserve, from 1951.
• The Caledonian pinewood - a surviving remnant on the reserve's lower slopes.

When to go

May to September for the hills; midges are severe from June to August in still conditions. Winter turns the ridges into full mountaineering routes. Clear days are worth waiting for, since the tops are often in cloud.

Honest expectations

The ridges here are serious mountaineering, not hillwalking; Liathach's pinnacles involve exposed scrambling with a bypass path that is itself narrow and loose. Accommodation is very limited and books ahead. Phone signal is poor throughout and the nearest shops are far apart.

Nearby

Applecross and the Bealach na Ba lie south; Gairloch and Loch Maree are north.