Quinag from Tumore

Quinag’s dramatic western face is one of those hallmark views as you drive west from Lochinver. Its sheer, seemingly unscalable slopes make it look daunting for casual walkers, which explains why most ascents start from the east. I’ve been curious about alternative approaches and stumbled across a route in the Cicerone guide to Scotland’s Far North which details an ascent of Quinag from Tumore via Bealach Leireag. This path leads to Bealach a’ Chornaidh, offering access to Quinag’s main peaks. With limited references online, we ventured out on a wintry January morning to explore it firsthand.

Trip Essentials – Quinag From Tumore

These are my personal notes and are here to give you some inspiration for your own journey – they shouldn’t be used as a guide! If you’re heading to the hills, make sure you or someone with you has solid map-reading and navigation skills. You’ll find links below to relevant maps and resources to help you plan your own adventure. Have fun and stay safe!

Quinag from Tumore map — Route to Quinag from Tumore (the usual route is from the car park shown on the right on the A894 (Source: Os Maps)

Starting / Finish Point: Layby at Tumore (View in Google Maps)
Total Distance: ~6km
Total Ascent: ~540m
Terrain: Boggy, sometimes indistinct path from Tumore to Bealach Leireag, then steep pathless climbing to Bealach a’ Chornaidh (from here you could carry on to any of Quinag’s main summits).
Maps: Assynt & Coigach Harvey Map
Book: Cicerone guide to Scotland’s Far North (out of print but you can purchase a used copy)
View GPX on OS Maps
View this route and more in our Interactive Route Map

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Field Notes from Quinag and the Bealach Leireag

We headed toward Quinag the night before our hike, enjoying a van night at one of our favourite park ups on Loch Assynt. The plan was for an early start, so it was a bit of a surprise when we woke up in the morning and it was 8:30am! (Van window covers are amazing, but note to self: set an alarm!) On the plus side, we were very well rested for what would turn out to be an energetic and rewarding day.

We were finally on our way just after 10am. The starting point is through a gate onto the old “track” that leads from Tunmore to Glenleraig. This path was often lost in bog and overgrown heather but easily regained. We followed it to the Bealach Leireag, a wonderfully isolated position in the foothills of Quinag (note to self: return to this spot for a wild camp someday soon).

Up close, Quinag shows off its huge series of tempting snow-filled gullies (some marked routes shown on the Assynt & Coigach Harvey Map). The bonus to all this is that the walk-in to these routes isn’t terribly long (an hour or so) making them a great resource for snow practice (that is, when they happen to be filled with snow, which isn’t as often as we’d prefer).

On this day, we opted for the un-named notch just to the right of Bealach a’ Chornaidh (image below), perhaps less exciting but eminently more dog friendly. It’s not obvious on the map, but this route allows you to overcome the steep boulders that otherwise typify this side of Quinag. Yes it’s steep, but not as steep as it looks from the road, and doable with a little bit of patience. (Read this post from the Assynt Field Club for some flora and fauna to look out for as you slowly make your way up the hill.)

We veered off the path at and headed steeply towards our target. We could have skipped the crampons by avoiding the snow altogether and sticking to the heathery ground. However, we wanted to practice some of our snow skills so completed the journey with our snow gear. With very little wind that day, the going was hot and sweaty – I was down to just a base layer top until we got towards the top of the bealach. The dogs were absolute legends!

We finally conquered the Bealach a’ Chornaidh at around 1pm. Lunch was a very welcome broccoli and stilton soup (last of the Christmas cheese leftovers) – superb! – with some of that essential wholemeal bread and butter.

The trip back was made efficient by using the notch as a slide – great fun, and a good opportunity to practice ice axe self arrest (how you stop yourself when sliding down a slope).