Am Buachaille
| 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°32′15″N 5°05′30″W / 58.5374°N 5.0918°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Highest elevation | 65m[1] |
| Administration | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
 | |
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.
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]
In September 2024 Jim Miller, Alan Thurlow along with Aden Thurlow 11 years old, who lead climbed the route to the top, became the youngest person to lead the climb on Am Buachaille.
The name means "the herdsman" or "the shepherd" in Scottish Gaelic.[3][6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c 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.