Torridon

Torridon
Scottish Gaelic: *Toirbheartan*
Torridon Scottish Gaelic: Toirbheartan;
	Torridon village
	Torridon Location within the Highland council area
OS grid reference	NG8956
Council area	Highland;
Lieutenancy area	Ross and Cromarty;
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Achnasheen
Postcode district	IV22
Dialling code	01445
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire;
Scottish Parliament	Caithness, Sutherland and Ross;
	List of places UK Scotland 57°33′N 5°31′W / 57.55°N 5.52°W

Torridon (Scottish Gaelic: Toirbheartan) is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torridon. The village lies on the shore of Loch Torridon.

Location

Torridon is on the west coast of Scotland, 109 miles (175 km) north of Fort William and 80 miles (130 km) west of Inverness. Situated in an area well known to climbers, photographers, wildlife enthusiasts, hikers, and visitors from around the world, the surrounding mountains rise steeply to 3,500 feet (1,100 m) from the deep sea lochs. There is a large hotel, The Torridon, which holds 3 AA Rosettes as well as 5 red stars and is a leading hotel in the UK; a public bar (Bo & Muc); and a youth hostel within walking distance. The Torridon area is widely acknowledged as having some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the whole of the British Isles.

Notable residents

From 1925 until 1931, John McQueen Johnston served as GP to the area.^[1]

Mountains

The loch is surrounded by numerous mountains to the north, including Liathach, Beinn Alligin and Beinn Eighe, all of which are over 3,000 feet (914.4 metres) in height. Specifically, they are:

Hills between Glen Torridon and Strath Carron share much of the splendour and character of the main hills, although perhaps less of the drama:

Triathlon

Torridon hosts the annual CELTMAN! Extreme Scottish Triathlon since June 2011. The 3.4 km swim takes place in Loch Shieldaig while the 202 km bike leg is notable for the strong winds affecting competitors. Finally the 42 km run takes in two Munros during the race over the Beinn Eighe range.^[2]