Am Buachaille
Am Buachaille is a sea stack, or vertical rock formation composed of Torridonian Sandstone, 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) southwest of Sandwood Bay in the Scottish county of Sutherland. It lies at the tip of the Rubh' a Bhuachaille headland around 5 miles (8 kilometres) north of Kinlochbervie.
| Scottish Gaelic name | Am Buachaille |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | The Herdsman |
| Location | |
Am Buachaille Am Buachaille shown within Highland Scotland | |
| OS grid reference | NC201652 |
| Coordinates | 58.5374°N 5.0918°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Highest elevation | 65m[1] |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
The stack is 65 metres (213 feet) high[2] and was first climbed in 1968 by the mountaineers Tom Patey, Ian Clough and John Cleare.[3][4] At least four climbing routes are identified on Am Buachaille which is considered a "famous" sea stack climb[5] and has been called the "most serious of 'the big three' Scottish stacks"[6] and a "truly great stack".[7] The easiest route is graded Hard Very Severe (HVS) and access to the stack involves a 30-metre (100-foot) swim at low tide.[6][8]
The name means "the herdsman" or "the shepherd" in Scottish Gaelic.[3][6]
See also
References
- "Am Buachaille". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- Am Buachaille Sea-Stack, Sandwood Bay Archived 28 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Welcome to Scotland. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- Sandwood Bay is a beautiful beach shrouded in mystery, The Scotsman, 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- Sandwood Bay on walkhighlands.co.uk
- Am Buachaille, UK Climbing. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- Latter.G & MacInnes.H (2009) Scottish rock volume 2 - north, Pesda Press (p.297).
- North West Highlands. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- Scottish sea stack Archived 2014-02-18 at archive.today, Planet fear, 2005-10-10. Retrieved 2014-02-18.