Quinag

Quinag is a mountain range in Sutherland, Highland, rising to 808 m along a Y-shaped crest of Torridonian sandstone capped by Cambrian quartzites. Its Gaelic name A’ Chuinneag means ‘milk pail’, describing the shape that dominates the skyline. Seen from the Kylesku Bridge road, the buttresses of Sàil Gharbh and Sàil Ghorm frame Loch Assynt. The massif also includes Spidean Còinich, whose broad south-east ridge is the usual walking route. The John Muir Trust bought the 8,400-acre Quinag estate in 2005, sharing ownership of Loch Assynt with the Glencanisp estate. The range offers three Corbett summits: Sàil Ghorm at 776 m, Sàil Gharbh at 808 m, and Spidean Còinich at 764 m. Iain Banks placed Quinag just west of Garbadale in his 2007 novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale. Remnants of ancient woodland with birch, rowan, hazel, wych elm, aspen and oak survive in deep gullies and sheltered coastal spots. The eastern slope of Spidean Còinich is a dip slope formed along quartzite beds. Geologists value the range for showing the relationship between three major rock units of the north-west Highlands. Walkers follow the broad south-east ridge of Spidean Còinich to the summit. The buttresses of Sàil Gharbh and Sàil Ghorm provide dramatic views from the Kylesku Bridge road. Loch Assynt lies at the foot of the massif, shared by the Quinag and Glencanisp estates. Sheltered gullies shelter birch, rowan and oak, while the quartzite caps catch the light above. The ridge walk ends at the highest point, where Torridonian sandstone meets Cambrian quartzite.