The two westerly peaks of the Fannaichs stand apart from the rest of the range, making them a logical objective as a pair. Offering pleasant ridge walking above craggy corries, these are hills of character, and while they feel quite wild the access is actually pretty easy by local standards.
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1
NH1618076112 Follow the road briefly southeast, then turn right onto a gated estate track. This leads alongside forestry to a footbridge over a burn near Loch a' Bhraoin. Turn left, cross the bridge, and follow a made path through the edge of the woods to the outflow from the loch. Go over another bridge here. If water levels are very high then it's worth now going left (east) onto a very muddy ATV track which leads to a further bridge ( NH163747) over to the east side of the Allt Breabaig.
2
NH1584274971 More pleasant than the above high water alternative is to follow the well-made stalker's path southeast and then south along the Allt Breabaig to a ford at NH162741. If crossing at this point looks doubtful when you get here, there's a continuation path along the west bank. However the easier trail traverses along the east flank of the glen, so it's worth crossing the burn if you can. Continue up-glen for around 4km, ascending to the saddle between Sgurr nan Clach Geala and Sgurr Breac.
3
NH1741470607 From a little stone-walled shelter built against a boulder, turn west and follow a rough path up the east spur of Sgurr Breac. Steep at first, with a couple of rocky outcrops tackled on the way, the ground becomes gentler as you follow the rim of the hill's northern crags to reach the summit cairn. 4
NH1581971120 Continuing west along the ridge, descend into the Bealach a' Choire Bhric. Climb over the top of Toman Choinich, then descend quite steep rocky ground to the Bealach Toll an Lochain. In clear weather it's possible to stash your pack here for the return leg.
5
NH1442471253 It's a steady ascent onto A' Chailleach. Beyond an interesting landslip feature, the ridge curves left to reach the summit. From here it's possible to descend the north ridge onto Sron na Goibhre, and in winter conditions this may be preferable.
6
NH1361871425 The standard route down the north ridge is fine, but perhaps more entertaining is the descent via Toll an Lochain. For this, return to the bealach, then head northeast to pick up a path that traverses the steep east flank of the corrie. Largely clear to follow, but quite rough and even a little exposed, this trail eventually joins the broad ridge of Druim Reidh.
7
NH1502172525 Follow the trail, boggy in places, north then northeast, to a cairn on Sron na Leitir Fhearna, the nose overlooking Loch a' Bhraoin. From here the path zigzags steeply downhill, before crossing the boggy lower slopes to rejoin the main trail back to the road.
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Difficulty: DifficultDistance: 10.87 miles (17.50 km)
Total ascent: 1,025m
Time: 6 – 7 hours (Walking)
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Additional Information
Start/Finish:Large layby on the A832 Fain Road, NH161761
Nearest town:
Ullapool
Terrain:
Clear paths most of the way. The glen approach is boggy in places, but the hills themselves offer comparatively straightforward ridge walking. Descent through Toll an Lochain crosses steep slopes.
Seasonal variations:
A good winter round since much of the approach and walk-out can readily be done in the dark. No particular seasonal difficulties, except for the descent along the steep flank of Toll an Lochain, which will need some care in snow or icy conditions. If in doubt, the north ridge of A' Chailleach may be less problematic.
Weather and Hill Conditions: mwis: Northwest Highlands – Met Office: West Highlands
Public transport:
Very occasional buses to Dundonnell pass this way.
Guidebooks:
The Munros (SMC)
Maps:
OS Explorer 435 (1:25,000), OS Explorer 436 (1:25,000), OS Landranger 20 (1:50,000) Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route Tourist info:
Ullapool (0845 22 55 121)
Further Routes
by Dan Bailey UKH
- East Ridge of Beinn a' Chaorainn and Beinn Teallach 21 Jan
- A' Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire 4 Dec, 2023
- Meall na Teanga & Sron a' Choire Ghairbh - The Loch Lochy Munros 6 Nov, 2023
- Bynack More 19 Oct, 2023
- Beinn a' Mhuinidh 4 Oct, 2023
Thanks for this - I didn't know about the path heading north from Bealach Toll an Lochain. If the burns are full, there is a bridge lower down the Allt Breabaig at NH163748, reached by turning left off the path just after the bridge across the outflow of the loch onto a boggy ATV track.
That's a good call - boggy as anything as I recall but it's worth me adding as an alternative
Looks like I listed that in a previous Fannaichs route, so I'll copy n paste for this one too.
https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=1352
Thanks!
No problem!
I was at this about a month ago and it's in a pretty poor state. Still usable but hard to say for how long.