Torridon Mountains
The Torridon Mountains in the northwest Highlands are one of the most magnificent and most ancient mountain landscapes on Earth, a group of isolated peaks formed from Torridonian sandstone approximately 800 million years old rising from Lewisian gneiss that is the oldest exposed rock surface in Europe at approximately three billion years of age. Beinn Eighe, Liathach, Beinn Alligin and the surrounding peaks provide mountain walking of exceptional quality in a landscape of primordial grandeur unavailable elsewhere in the British Isles. Liathach, the grey one, is the most imposing peak, its great buttresses of Torridonian sandstone rising from the valley floor in continuous cliff faces to the summit ridge at 1,054 metres. The Traverse of Liathach is one of the finest mountain expeditions in Scotland, its combination of sustained exposure, demanding terrain and extraordinary views providing an experience that ranks with the best mountain walking available in Britain. The Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, the first national nature reserve declared in Britain in 1951, provides interpretation of the geological antiquity of the landscape. The mountain trail from Kinlochewe ascends through four billion years of Earth history from valley floor to summit. The combination of the ancient geology, the mountain drama and the profound remoteness of Torridon creates an experience unlike any other in the British hills.