Stac Pollaidh

Stac Pollaidh is one of Assynt's most photogenic little mountains, a bristling sandstone ridge that erupts from a low moorland base above Loch Lurgainn. For drone pilots the roadside car park is the practical launch point, and you do not need to climb the hill to get the shot. From here the aircraft can rise to frame the jagged summit crest against Cul Beag, Cul Mor and, on a clear day, the distant Summer Isles. The surrounding Coigach and Inverpolly landscape is a tangle of lochans and knobbly hills that reward slow, high panning moves. This is genuine wilderness, so there is no FRZ nearby and airspace is clear, but weather rolls in fast and wind funnels through the glen. Keep a close eye on battery temperature and return-to-home margins because there is little shelter. The single-track road is busy with walkers in summer, so launch away from parked cars and the path. Midges can be brutal on still evenings. Fly responsibly around the small number of hillwalkers on the ridge and avoid low passes over people. Early morning gives the calmest air and the best side-light across the ridge.