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Travelling north beyond the Kylesku bridge through the wilds of Sutherland the junction at Laxford Bridge is eventually reached. Here one can turn right onto the A838 single track which runs through wonderful landscapes as it meanders its way to Lairg.
Not far down the road from the junction at Laxford Bridge one encounters this superb view of Loch Stack and the grey scree slopes of Arkle, a complete wilderness had it not been for the old croft house at the northern limit of Loch Stack. This image was taken on my first visit to this area and the scene just cries out to be captured.
For those of you with an interest in horse racing you will no doubt know that one of the most famous thoroughbred horses in the history of racing was named Arkle after this mountain. Owned by Anne Grosvenor, the Duchess of Westminster who has an estate in the North-west Highlands, Arkle was the first racehorse in Britain to capture public attention outside racing circles and is regarded as the greatest steeplechaser of all time.
I did some research into the origin of the name Arkle and found the following explanation given on Scottish National Heritage's website.
The name of the mountain, Arkle, has it's origin dating back to Viking times. The mountains of the West Highlands would have been a familiar sight to the seafaring Vikings and the names they applied as visual markers as seen from the sea are appropriate. On moving inland the mountains take on a different aspect, but from the sea, Arkle looks exactly like it's Norse name; ark-hol, meaning round or bald top hill.
Loch Stack is named after the mountain on it's western shore, Ben Stack, and this is another name owing its origin to the Viking era. In Norse the word 'stack' means a steep hill and this is a perfect description for the small in extent but very steep slopes of this mountain.