THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Taking route up perfect pyramid of Beinn Dorain a true delight
The main trunk road to the northwest, the West Highland Railway and the West Highland Way all pass very close to Beinn Dorain, so the hill’s well known to many.
I’ve climbed it on a few occasions and travelled past it many hundreds of times – but I still thrill at the sight of it. I love travelling north with someone who catches sight of Beinn Dorain for the first time.
As you round the sweeping bend on the A82 north of Tyndrum, the vast bulk of this perfect pyramid of a peak looms into view. Their reaction is invariably “wow!” From this angle, Beinn Dorain appears conical and almost impossibly steep – a formidable prospect that utterly dominates its surroundings.
There’s a feeling you’ve suddenly arrived in the Highlands. With their big sharp horns, Highland cows can look pretty fearsome, but they’re generally big softies really.
Beinn Dorain’s a bit like that too, and, when approached from Bridge of Orchy, the ascent is much easier than you’d imagine. It’s a bit of a pull up to the bealach and beyond, then you follow a lovely long ridge that takes you to the summit. The hill is one of a group of five fairly tightly packed Munros in this area. Combining Beinn Dorain with its nearest neighbour, Beinn an Dothaidh, makes for a fine day out. The superfit sometimes climb all five in a day – a truly massive undertaking which needs the long days of summer if you want a chance of finishing in daylight. A couple of hundred metres shy of the summit lies a considerable cairn, known as Carn Sassunaich, the Sassenach’s – or Southerner’s – Cairn. It’s not clear how it got its name but one – quite uncharitable – theory has it that in thick mist “daft southerners” might mistake the cairn for the true summit! Whatever the truth of it, the views of the Southern Highlands from the actual summit are wonderful, giving a rarely seen perspective of the Glen Lochay and Glen Lyon hills in particular.