Caisteal Abhail

Caisteal Abhail is a mountain on the Isle of Arran in Scotland’s Firth of Clyde. It stands as the northernmost Corbett on the island and forms the main part of a view known as The Sleeping Warrior. From the mainland the mountain’s outline resembles a recumbent figure. Its most notable feature is Ceum na Caillich, a deep gash in the eastern ridge often called the Witch’s Step. The mountain is the northernmost peak in a chain of three Corbetts, with Goat Fell, the island’s highest point, lying to the east. The summit sits where four ridges meet: east, north, northwest and south. The southern ridge continues to Cìr Mòr, the central summit of the range. The top is crowned with rocky tors, and in poor weather it can be hard to tell which tor marks the highest point. The mountain is usually climbed from North Glen Sannox, where a car park lies two miles west of Sannox on the A841. The eastern ridge includes Ceum na Caillich, a tricky scramble that cannot easily be avoided. This ridge can also be reached from Sannox village by Glen Sannox. The northwestern ridge can be climbed via a longer route through Gleann Easan Biorach from Lochranza. Walkers often combine an ascent of Caisteal Abhail with Cìr Mòr and other Arran peaks.