Torridon

Torridon is known for its ancient mountain landscape, built from some of the oldest rock in Britain. Its peaks of red and grey sandstone, around a billion years old, rise sheer from the sea lochs on a base of even older Lewisian gneiss. Liathach and Beinn Eighe are among the most celebrated mountains in Scotland, and the area is fine wildlife country, home to red deer, golden eagles, pine martens and red squirrels.

Torridon is about 65 miles south-west of Inverness, roughly a 1 hour 45 minute drive on the A832 through Wester Ross. The journey is a highlight in itself, passing Achnasheen and running along the shores of Loch Maree. Torridon appears on several of Hopscotch's multi-day Highland itineraries.

Torridon is excellent for wildlife. Red deer are everywhere and often seen from the road, golden eagles soar over the ridges, and pine martens turn up more and more in the glen woodland. The Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, the first in Britain when it was established in 1951, has well-kept trails through ancient Caledonian pinewoods full of red squirrels and crossbills.

Torridon rewards non-hikers as much as walkers. The single-track road through the glen runs past some of the most dramatic mountain and loch scenery in Scotland, and the NTS Countryside Centre in the village has good wildlife and geology displays. The shores of Upper Loch Torridon are lovely for a short stroll, and the drive alone, with your Hopscotch guide explaining the geology and history, is an experience in its own right.