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We have been coming up to visit this area since purchasing a holiday home in Sutherland in 2002 and finally becoming a full time resident in 2015. For some reason when visiting Assynt Stac Polliadh always caught my eye , there was something about its shape that really appealed to me. So 11 years ago after I'd had major back surgery when I wasn't sure that I was going to walk again, I made a list of things I wanted to do if I got back on my feet again, and climbing Stac Polliadh was one of them.
It was the last item on my list to achieve , I am not a great hill walker so it kept getting put off, but when lockdown restrictions were lifted it seemed the perfect way to celebrate and enjoy a trip out with friends. We were an odd bunch to attempt the walk: me , one suffering with sciatica , another not into hill walking , one with a fear of heights and another that suffers from vertigo and two jack russells , but on a dry day in April we set off.
The car park is easy to find and there is a map showing you the walk. You cross the road and through a gate to find the start of the path. The first part I thought was the most difficult the steps on the path were obviously set by someone with a larger stride than me and were a bit of an effort to walk up and a difficult surface to get a grip on , but soon it opened into a much more even path that headed straight up the hill.
It was suprisingly easy to climb, although we did need a few stops to catch our breathe, but it was a great excuse to admire the staggering views that were appearing the higher we climbed. Very quickly the split in the path which takes you to the lower ridge came in sight , and a well laid out path leads the way ahead.
We were only about 30 ft from the top where the path narrows out with quite a drop to one side when my friends vertigo kicked in, to the point she was on her hands and knees refusing to move. It took a lot of coaxing to get her to crawl to the top, and she spent the entire time on the ridge whilst we ate lunch clinging onto a rock. As we are not experienced climbers we didn't go to the high ridge, but the views from the first one just takes your breath away.
We had not met a soul on the way up and we felt like we were the only people on the planet up there in that beautiful place.Then we were on our way down holding onto my friend , leading her down one step at a time, as she got more confident the lower we got. I was so proud of her for even attempting it, just to support me. We were all very proud of ourselves , but were a bit deflated when we met two guys running up it! It was a lot easier walk then I was expecting taking us 2hrs 45 mins to get up and a lot quicker coming down. I am so glad that I achieved it and every time I pass Stac Polliadh now I say, I climbed that! If you have ever fancied giving it a go then definitely do it .