Beinn Ghobhlach

DUNDONNELL AND ULLAPOOL

Summary : Beinn Ghobhlach may be only 635 metres high but it has the feel and distinctive shape of a real mountain; its position on the Scoraig peninsula between the two Loch Brooms makes it a fantastic viewpoint. Terrain : Very rough, pathless terrain with a great deal of tough heather, bogs and steep ground. Grade : Distance : 11.5km/7 miles Bog Factor : Time : 5 – 6 hours Start : End of minor road to Badrallach Grid ref : NH056919 Map :   View an OS map of the route Ascent : 780m GPS Route/ Waypoints :  Open this walk in QUO 2  Tell me more  Open this walk in GPX format  (compatible with Memory map etc)  Open this walk in Google Earth Tell me more  Open all walks in Google Earth Tell me more Pronunciation and meaning : Press play button to listen   Tell me more Public Transport : [Click for timetables - choose Area 5]

1. Park at the end of the minor road to Badrallach. There is space for a good number of cars; take care not to block the turning area by the sign at the very end. The path begins by heading uphill past a sign warning there is no vehicular access. It soon levels off and becomes slightly rougher surfaced, with views across Little Loch Broom towards the distinctive peak of Sail Mhor. After a couple of kilometres the path rounds a little corner and very briefly descends on pitched stone. A stream coming down from the right here is the start of the usual route to Beinn Ghobhlach. Our route saves this for the return and continues further along the Scoraig path – this circuit takes only slightly longer than the there-and-back route. The path now traverses across a steeper, more dramatic section of coastline. At Creag a Chadha there are cliffs above the path and a steep drop below; this section is fenced and the path passes through a small gate at one point.

2. Scoraig can be seen ahead, which is where the path eventually leads. You could make a longer walk by visiting Scoraig and climbing Beinn Ghobhlach on the way back. About a kilometre after going through the gate, look for a good place to leave the path and climb steeply uphill across very rough ground – a mixture of deep heather and sandstone boulders. After gaining a couple of hundred metres the slope begins to ease and there is a first view of the peaks of Beinn Ghobhlach ahead.

3. Continue ahead, aiming for Coire Dearg between the two peaks. There is a short area of peat bog to cross just before beginning the ascent up the back of the corrie on steep grass and heather. Once the ground flattens out and it seems you are near the ridge (actually you in a shallow upper corrie and the ridge is further back), bear left towards the northern summit of the mountain you could see on the left earlier. This has precipitous slopes on the west and north sides, making its fine summit cairn a great viewpoint for the peninsula and the sea beyond. Now head east along the broad but rough sandstone ridge, with great views all the time on the left. At a rocky knoll where the ridge curves to the right there is a first view of Ullapool far below across Loch Broom.

4. The rocky ridge continues easily southwards, finally curving right to reach the summit of Beinn Ghobhlach, with a stone windshelter reached first and the cairn just beyond. At only 635 metres this peak is just a Graham but those who have climbed its rough slopes and admired its fabulous views are not likely to think less of it. An Teallach is the dominant nearby peak, with the graceful steep dome of Sgurr Mor in the Fannichs easily recognisable to its left. Further round are the Beinn Deargs, then Ullapool and the long, dramatic ridge of Ben More Coigach above the sea. The Summer Isles are the centrepiece of a wide stretch of sea beyond the Scoraig peninsula, with Greenstone Point and then Sail Mhor completing a memorable panorama.

5. Head down the rocky west ridge for a few hundred metres to a minor col; from you can descend directly towards the strip of land dividing Loch na Coireig and Loch na h-Uidhe. The slope is steep and rocky in places and requires some care. Pass between the two lochs across boggy ground, aiming a little to the right of the cairned rocky knoll marked with a height of 338 metres.

6. It is necessary to ascend a little as you leave the lochs heading southwest. Before passing over the rise, have a good look back to Beinn Ghobhlach across Loch na h-Uidhe, looking every inch a mountain. After crossing the low barrier ahead the ground descends steeply once more. Keep on the right side of the grassy gully for the easiest going; there is a stream lower down. This section of descent turns out to be much easier than those done before, and the Scoraig path is reached once more. Turn left along it; it returns to the start in a couple of kilometres.

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