Stac Pollaidh

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Stac Pollaidh
The western summit of Stac Pollaidh
Elevation	612 m (2008 ft)
Location	Inverpolly, Scotland
Prominence	c. 438 m
Topo map	Ordnance Survey Landranger 15
OS grid reference	NC107106
Listing	Graham, Marilyn
Translation	Peak of the peat moss (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	[stæk pɒlɛɪ]

Stac Pollaidh is a mountain in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The peak displays a rocky crest of Torridonian sandstone, with many pinnacles and steep gullies. The crest is extremely weathered (more so than other Torridonian peaks), suggesting that it was not covered in ice during the last Ice Age.

The name Stac Pollaidh is often anglicised to Stack Polly. Due to its relatively low height, fine views and ease of access from a road it has become a very popular peak to climb. Consequentially it has suffered from a great deal of erosion, leading to Scottish Natural Heritage constructing a large path.

Stac Pollaidh can be climbed in under 3 hours by any relatively fit person. From the car park on the shore of Loch Lurgainn the path leads directly up, under the spires of the crest. About 200 m from the road the path splits; one may choose either since both meet up on the far side of the hill, from where it is only a short distance to the summit ridge.

Once on the ridge the true summit lies about 300 m to the west. However to reach it one must scramble over several rocky pinnacles, and a good head for heights is required. The lower, eastern, peak can be reached without any difficulty. From any point on the crest there are excellent views of the wide expanse of the Inverpolly Forest, and of neighbouring peaks such as Suilven. Returning via the other path allows for a circular walk of about 3 km.

In 2004 there was some controversy over the possibility of a mobile phone mast being sited on Stac Pollaidh, though this plan was later dropped.