A superb round of the sculpted peaks that dominate the mouth of Loch Leven, the Ballachulish 'horseshoe' is a ridge walking classic complete with scrambly bits and expansive sea-and-mountain views. But now for a confession. I've neglected beautiful Beinn a' Bheithir for years, either blasting on through towards the Ben or stopping short in Glen Coe. There's always a plausible excuse of course, but the result was that when did I finally decide to make up for lost time last week, nearly 20 years had elapsed since my previous trip round these brilliant hills. Don't make the same mistake.
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Height Profile
metres / Distance
miles
Detailed description
1
NN0803657974 Head uphill past the school, and where the tarmac ends continue south on a track. Beyond a disused quarry the track narrows to a path through rough pastures. Just past a gate in a fence look out for a small cairn on the right.
2
NN0790056888 Turn off right here onto a well-trodden trail which makes a beeline up the heathery lower slopes onto the ENE ridge of Sgorr Bhan. Otherwise known as School House Ridge, this is the very obvious skyline above the village. The ridge steepens and narrows, providing some basic scrambling on a short series of airy rocky steps (easy winter climbing under snow). Beyond the crux section easier ground leads to a last steepening. On the gentler slopes above, bear left for the walk up to Sgorr Bhan's attractive little summit.
3
NN0626656049 Follow the ridge line into a gap and on up the graceful curving crest to the day's high point on Sgorr Dhearg - a magnificent spot. In heavy snow conditions the summit may run straight out onto a cornice overhanging the northeast face, and a little common sense might be advisable.
4
NN0567655836 Heading west-southwest, a broad ridge leads down to the low col between Beinn a' Bheithir's two Munros. Step through a decaying fence and continue up Sgurr Dhonuill's fine east ridge. Pass the top of the subsidiary ridge that leads out north to the satellite peak-let of Sgorr a' Chaolais, aka the Dragon's Tooth (for future reference this is a good scramble in summer, grade II in winter). The final summit ridge of Sgorr Dhonuill is narrow and airy with some very brief scrambling, and an alpine feel in winter.
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NN0298155544 At a dip before the 824m summit marked on maps, bear right to reach a cairn overlooking the steep slope at the head of Gleann a' Chaolais. Pick your way down this with care (note seasonal variations in the info box) to reach the floor of the corrie, and a well-trodden path on the west bank of the obvious burn. This leads down into the pine plantations that cloak the glen.
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NN0375056756 Meet a forestry road at a big U-bend. Turn right onto this for the long woodland march home, ignoring any downhill turn-offs as you go. Reach the coastal A82 near a little church, and follow the cycle/pedestrian lane back to Ballachulish.
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Difficulty: DifficultDistance: 9.26 miles (14.90 km)
Total ascent: 1,469m
Time: 7 – 7:30 hours (Walking)
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Summits
Beinn a' Bheithir - Sgorr Dhonuill 1001 mBeinn a' Bheithir - Sgorr Bhan 947 m
Beinn a' Bheithir - Sgorr Dhearg 1024 m
Additional Information
Start/Finish:Small car park in Ballachulish just before the dead-end road past the school (there's no parking up this road), NN080580
Nearest town:
Ballachulish
Terrain:
A steep ascent on the ENE ridge of Sgorr Bhan, with some modest (grade 1) scrambling interest on a series of short rock steps. There's a fair bit of loose rock here. Beyond this it's classic easy ridge striding ground with one very brief bit of airy scrambling just before the summit of Sgurr Dhonuill. The initial descent into Gleann a' Chaolais is steep. The forestry below is renowned for jungle bashing, but there turns out to be a good path followed by a quick return to Ballachulish on forest tracks.
Seasonal variations:
A winter mountaineering round. The ENE ridge of Sgorr Bhan is a grade I climb in winter conditions, and exposed enough for some to want a rope. Sgorr Bhan's NE ridge provides an alternative walking ascent. Appreciable cornices can form along the edges of Beinn a' Bheithir's northern corries. In snow the final exposed summit climb onto Sgorr Dhonuill has a mountaineering feel. The described descent into Gleann a' Chaolais can be a grade I downclimb on steep snow. This could be avoided by continuing over points 824m and 759m (see map) before descending a broad gully east into the glen.
Weather and Hill Conditions: mwis: Northwest Highlands – Met Office: West Highlands
Public transport:
Citylink bus from Glasgow to Fort William; get out at Ballachulish
Guidebooks:
The Munros, SMC
Maps:
OS Explorer 384 (1:25,000), OS Explorer 391 (1:25,000), Harvey/BMC Ben Nevis (1:40,000), OS Landranger 41 (1:50,000) Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route Tourist info:
Ballachulish (08452 255 121); Fort William (0845 22 55 121)
Further Routes
by Dan Bailey UKH
- 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
- Loch Ossian round - Seven Munros by Train 15 Sep, 2023
- Beinn Dronaig - 30km of Solitude 23 Aug, 2023