Sgùrr Fhuaran is a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 mountain that is situated on the northern side of Glen Shiel

Glen Shiel

Glen Shiel is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.The glen runs approximately 9 miles from north-west to south-east, from sea level at the village of Shiel Bridge and Loch Duich to the Cluanie Inn at the western end of Loch Cluanie and the start of Glenmoriston.W. H...

, 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) east south east of Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...

.

Overview

The mountain reaches a height of 1067 metres (3,500.7 ft) and qualifies as a Munro

Munro

A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...

 and a Marilyn

Marilyn (hill)

A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...

, it is the highest point for a significant distance, having a sizeable topographic prominence

Topographic prominence

In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...

 of 663 metres (2,175.2 ft) and gives extensive views from its summit.

The meaning of the mountain’s name is obscure. Sgùrr Fhuaran may mean "Peak of the wells or springs" and many streams issue from the mountains slopes. Another possible meaning proposed is that the proper name is Sgùrr Urain, the Peak of Odhran

Ódhran

Ódhran is an ancient Irish warrior, dating to 1000BC, first high king of Ireland, he is noted to have invited the game of hurling. He was born in Portumna, Co. Galway where he ruled all of Ireland....

, named after a disciple of Columba

Columba

Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...

. The mountain is referred to in the slogan

Slogan (heraldry)

A slogan is used in Scottish heraldry as a heraldic motto or a secondary motto. It usually appears above the crest on a coat of arms, though sometimes it appears as a secondary motto beneath the shield...

 "Sgùrr Uaran" of Clan Macrae

Clan MacRae

The Clan Macrae is a Highland Scottish clan. The clan has no chief; it is therefore considered an Armigerous clan.-Surname:The surname Macrae is an Anglicisation of the patronymic from the Gaelic personal name Macraith. This personal name means "son of grace"...

 (which occupied lands in the Kintail area).

Geography

Sgùrr Fhuaran is one of three mountains that make up the Five Sisters of Kintail

Kintail

Kintail is an area of mountains in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It consists of the mountains to the north of Glen Shiel and the A87 road between the heads of Loch Duich and Loch Cluanie; its boundaries, other than Glen Shiel, are generally taken to be the valleys of Strath Croe and Gleann...

(the other two being Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe and Sgùrr na Càrnach

Sgurr na Càrnach

Sgùrr na Càrnach is a Scottish mountain situated on the northern side of Glen Shiel, 24 kilometres south east of Kyle of Lochalsh. The mountain is part of one of the best views in the Western Highlands as it is one of three mountains which make up the Five Sisters of Kintail...

) and when seen from Màm Ratagan above Loch Duich

Loch Duich

Loch Duich is a sea loch situated on the western coast of Scotland, in the Highlands.-History:In 1719, British forces burned many homesteads along the loch’s shores in the month preceding the Battle of Glen Shiel....

, the Five Sisters are one of the best known views in the Western Highlands of Scotland. The legend

Legend

A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...

 of the Five Sisters of Kintail tells the story of seven sisters, daughters of a local farmer, two of whom married visiting brothers who said they would send their five other brothers for the remaining five sisters to wed. However, no one returned and the five remaining sisters agreed for a local wizard to transform them into peaks in order to preserve their beauty while they waited.

Sgùrr Fhuaran is a distinctive peak with steep slopes which drop away to Glen Shiel on its western flank at an angle of over 30 degrees giving the mountain a feeling of great height. It has four main ridges, the best known of these is the WNW ridge which is conspicuous in views from Glen Shiel, it drops away precipitously from the summit to descend 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) in just over 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the River Shiel

River Shiel

The River Shiel is a four kilometre long river in Acharacle, Highland. It flows out of the Loch Shiel into the sea at Dorlin.- Fishing :...

in the valley. The southern ridge connects to the adjoining Munro of Sgùrr na Càrnach, which lies 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) away.

The eastern ridge which is a narrow knife edge in places gives a dramatic ascent route from Glenlicht House at the head of the remote Gleann Lichd. Between the southern and eastern ridges lies the impressive Coire Domhain to which the mountain drops almost vertically. The northern ridge goes to the Munro “top” of Sgùrr na Saighead (Peak of the Arrows) which with a height of 929 metres (3,047.9 ft) lies 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) away from the main summit. It is one of the Five Sisters and regarded by many as the finest, being narrow and exposed. This northern ridge continues for a further 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to reach sea level at the shores of Loch Duich.

Ascents

The direct ascent of Sgùrr Fhuaran starts at sea level at the foot of Glen Shiel (grid reference ) where there is a footbridge over the River Shiel, it is an unrelenting steep climb up the WNW ridge. A more interesting variation takes in Sgùrr na Saighead on the way and then follows the north ridge to the main summit. The full traverse of the Five Sisters ridge is rated by mountain writers as among the best walks in Scotland, the only problem lies with transport between the starting and finishing points of the walk which are 8 kilometres (5 mi) apart. The best solution to this is starting at Morvich in Strath Croe and walking up Gleann Lichd to its head before ascending to the ridge and walking it south to north to finish at the shores of Loch Duich near the days starting point.