A Skye-high adventure to punish the muscles, but reward the heart
Beinn Bhàn is an impressive sight from a popular tourist road in north-west Scotland. Yet, as I discover during a rewarding walk, this mountain’s summit appears surprisingly less visited. The adventure with my friend Ben begins close to the base of the Bealach na Bà, an iconic pass on the famous North Coast 500. While traffic passes almost constantly on the single track road, we are very quickly immersed in a peaceful and wonderfully wild landscape.
At first, there is a welltrodden path along the western bank of the River Kishorn. Its gentle incline lulls us into a relaxed pace as we enjoy sunshine and increasingly spectacular views of the high cliffs, buttresses and sandstone amphitheatres that form the eastern flanks of the mountain ridge. Then, as we meet a junction and veer north-west, the slope steepens and the terrain becomes more rugged. The trail fades and returns, then fades again, until we decide to simply follow a compass bearing towards Coire an Fhamair, at the northern end of the ridge. Arriving at a beautiful lochan at 365 metres (1,200 feet) elevation, we can see more clearly that the ascent of the corrie is going to be muscle-punishing. At first, it’s quite steep, and then from around 579m (1,900ft) elevation it’s seriously steep. For the final 198m (650ft), Ben and I set our own paces. There is a faint zigzag sheep path on the grassy slope and this helps ease the incline a little. A final push takes me over the ridge edge and on to a wide, much flatter top. While I wait for Ben, I walk west and take in a magnificent view over the sea to islands including Skye, Raasay, Rum and the Outer Hebrides. After a rest for a snack and to enjoy the vista, Ben and I continue south along the ridge and carefully peer down at another dramatic corrie, Coire na Poite, and two lochans far below. Some people ascend this route, but we’re happy we made an alternative choice.
We soon reach the summit at 896m (2,940ft) – Beinn Bhàn is categorised as a Corbett – where there is a stone shelter and trig point. Here, we meet the only other people we see all day. This couple have chosen to ascend from higher up the Bealach na Bà and plan to return the same way, missing what Ben and I believe to be the best part of the walk – the superb eastern corries. As well as the sublime coastal views, we can see the many high peaks of the Torridon area to the east. We’re keen to complete a circuit, so we continue southeasterly, descending on a rough and grassy slope. To our right, we see Loch Coire nan Arr below and the imposing flanks of another Corbett, Sgùrr a’ Chaorachain, as well as a climbing route known as Cìoch Nose. The vehicles look tiny on the Bealach na Bà.
The final section downhill to the car is the roughest of the walk, but we are soon out of our walking boots and making our way to the nearest shop for an ice cream.