An Coileachan

An Coileachan is a Munro standing 923 metres high in the Fannichs range, about fifty kilometres northwest of Inverness. Its Gaelic name means ‘the little cockerel’. The mountain forms the south-eastern end of the main Fannich ridge, with the 949-metre Meall Gorm lying to the north-west. A 775-metre bealach links the two summits. Steep, boulder-strewn slopes drop away on the north and east, enclosing three corries: Coire Loch nan Eun, Garbh Choire Beag and Garbh Choire Mòr. The southern and western sides slope more gently, covered in grass and heather, and include the grassy Coire nan Laogh. Walkers usually reach An Coileachan as part of a longer circuit that also takes in Beinn Liath Mhòr Fannaich, Sgùrr Mòr and Meall Gorm. The usual starting point is the car park at Torrandhu Bridge on the A835, where the road crosses the Abhainn an Torrain Duibh. This stream, which feeds Loch Glascarnoch, rises on the eastern flanks of the Fannichs. The ascent follows the burn’s course before climbing wegless to the east ridge of Beinn Liath Mhòr Fannaich and continuing along the main ridge to An Coileachan. An alternative route starts from Fannich Lodge beside Loch Fannich, though the lodge is only reached by a private track open to mountain bikes. The summit of An Coileachan is a broad, flat plateau marked by rocky outcrops and a stone cairn. The northern corries hold small lochans, while the southern slopes fall steeply to the eastern end of Loch Fannich. The rounded southern ridge and the subsidiary top of An Eigin enclose the grassy Coire nan Laogh. From a distance the summit plateau is clearly visible, crowned by the cairn that marks the highest point.