Beinn an Eoin - show me heaven!
Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 4:21 pmFor the last five years, each autumn we visited the mountains of Torridon at least once. There is something heavenly about the atmosphere of "torridonian fall"... Mountains look magnificent in autumn colours. Not every year we managed clear summit views but it was always a pleasure to walk amongst the giants 
A little guide to Torridonian Fall here:
Sept 2010 - Beinn Damh
Nov 2011 - Fuar Tholl
Sept 2012 - Beinn Liath Mhor
Sept 2013 - Beinn Alligin
Sept 2014 - Beinn Dearg
Following the tradition, we picked another mountain to add to this list for 2015 - Beinn an Eoin. I know that the best way for this hill is a long traverse in combination with Baosbheinn, but as I'm still not 100% sure about Kevin's back (though he is mostly recovered), we decided to climb BaE by itself. We picked Sunday rather than Saturday, to be sure no stalking was taking place in Flowerdale Forest.
No regrets whatsoever, quite the opposite. It was magnificent ridgewalking with views to kill for! And Kevin is now besotted with Baosbheinn, keeps saying we must return to climb this one too, and preferably in nice conditions.
Our route up Beinn an Eoin follows WH description. We stated from the north, from Am Feur-Loch and followed a good path all the way to the bottom of the mountain, then picked our way up the steep ground to gain the northern end of the ridge... and the rest was just pure mountain p*o*r*n
Black Arrow was parked next to an old, yellow shed, where we found ample parking space. Another couple of walkers started at the same time, but they were on bikes and they soon disappeared on the horizon Mind you, I'm not convinced I'd enjoy cycling on that path... Too rough for my standards, but I'm a rubbish cyclist so no surprise here 
The morning was rather quiet and warm, some high cloud scattered in the sky but it looked like we were going to have a good day! We were attacked by midges of course and had to grab our good old friend DEET. Oh, so typically Scottish
Meall Lochan a' Chleirich, a wee Sub'2000, seems a nice half-day top to climb if only for views down to Loch Maree:
We enjoyed the stroll into the heart of Flowerdale Forest, soon views started to open up and we spotted Baosbheinn - what a magnificent ridge:
The paths are well marked, looks like the estate welcomes ramblers, and with such views even the walk to Loch na h-Oidche and back would be a delight! The main path descends slightly towards the narrow glen of Abhainn a'Gharbh Choire:
Slioch wearing a woolly hat
The path is more like a track towards the end, and the sun was just rising from behind "our" hill...
We crossed Abhainn Loch na h-Oidhche on stepping stones (not much water in the river) and soon left the comfortable track for more rough terrain...
This TR will be full of photos of Baosbheinn from many different angles...
The "north face" of BaE is almost vertical, but all difficulties can be avoided by traversing to the west, below the steep rocks. Further west, the ground is easier, with grass and scattered boulders, and we had no problem at all gaining height. There is even a sketchy sort-of -a-path to help with navigation.
Ehmmm.... I'm not going up that side
Baosbheinn from the lower slopes of Eoin:
Having avoided all scrambling, we ascended about 150m from the bottom of the hill onto a wee flatter section, where we experienced the torridonian heaven for the first time today...
Slioch now basking in sunshine:
Distant An Teallach:
I was already overwhelmed with views and the best was yet to come!
After a short break for a few ahhs and ohhs, we continued up this not-very-friendly-looking slope:
The steep section was quite wet and slippery but soon the angle eased off and with stupendous views around we couldn't believe our luck. What a day it was shaping up!
Slioch and the Fisherfields...
Panoramic version of mountains across Loch Maree:
Some high cloud still lingered over southern Torridon and when we emerged on the main ridge, the sun was gone if only for a short time. Time for some moody shots, Kevin said:
I couldn't take my eyes off Liathach, it's seen from a weird angle and the main ridge forms a kind of crescent shape with the pinnacles in the middle. The sun was behind it, which made for even more "spooky" climate:
We were on the first top (682m) and from here we couldn't see the whole length of the ridge, but having glimpsed at the map, Kevin said - this ridge is two miles long! Ha! It's going to be 2 miles of pure pleasure, I thought
Fionn Bheinn, easy to recognize, the only regular shape around...
As we continued along the ridge to the second top (715m), the sun came back to Baosbheinn. What a lovely mountain, Kevin said, we must, absolutely must come back to do it! I stated it reminded me of Beinn Alligin, like it's younger brother! Hopefully it will be just as delightful traverse when we get around to it!
The first top from the middle one, the world of water beyond:
The ground is more rocky further up but no scrambling required anywhere on the ridge. Plenty of boulders to climb for posing though
Me, boulder and Beinn Airigh Charr:
The "p*o*r*nographic" ridge:
The dark, spooky Torridon:
This is the final, steeper section. A well-worn path can be followed. It's easy as for torridonian standards!
From near the summit we at last had a good look at Beinn Eighe. There aren't very many vantage points for good, distant view of Corrie Mhic Fearchair, and Beinn an Eoin is one of them:
I couldn't resist the temptation to fiddle with one of my photos to give the corrie more vivid colours - just to make the Triple Buttress more visible:
Zoom to the Fannichs:
Slioch and A'Mhaighdean (which I nicknamed Armageddon, easier to pronounce )
View north...
Zoomed pinnacles of the Forge:
Someone up here's happy... Our first NEW hill since the first week of August and bang! The best weather we could possibly have this time of the year! Scottish autumn can be unpredictable, but this year blessed us with some incredible conditions.
The final, narrow section just before the summit:
The true summit is marked with a miniature cairn, only a few steps away from the summit shelter. Views - priceless.
Baosbheinn still looking to me like Alligin Junior!
Beinn Eighe, Meall a'Ghiubhais and Beinn a'Chearcaill, the latter one is on our list for a winter walk:
Slioch, oh Slioch... To me it looks more like a castle , it should be called An Caisteil or something like that... But who am I to rename mountains?
Once more - the wild Torridon:
...and a wild husband
A wild lamb, too? Nah, it's just Lucy posing on the top of her 14th Corbett!
Kevin spent far too much time playing with his camera, we ended up with over 300 photos
and I really had a hard job to pick the best ones for this report!
We sat on a flat rock just by the summit shelter, had our sandwiches and enjoyed the views. We talked mostly about different methods of tackling Baosbheinn and I don't know where the time went, but who could blame us for enjoying the magic of this place?
Just as we were about to leave, I spotted a pair of walkers approaching the summit from the southern side and guess who it was?? I knew the Weasels were rambling about Torridon but didn't expect to run into them on the summit of Eoin!
We descended the ridge together, chatting mostly about hills, ticks and midges It was fantastic to have met you, Al and Alison, I hope we bump into each other again - Scotland is not as big as one might think
The Weasels were heading for Baosbheinn so we waved goodbye when we reached the road, me and Kevin heading back north. We also said bye to this wonderful area, but hopefully not for long. We will return here for sure.
Beinn an Eoin in sunshine:
On the way back we had better light for photographing the glen of Abhainn a'Gharbh Choire:
The walk took us 8 hours which was painfully slow but we simply lingered about too much, taking so many stops for photos and just gazing in the distance... What a day it was. there's no better place to be on a sunny Sunday than the peaks of Torridon.
Summing up - BaE is a CRACKER. Long-ish walk in but on a good track, no obstacles on the ridge, not too wet, some steep slopes, but it's an easy mountain as for Torridon. So worth the effort. Don't know where the hillwalking madness will take us next time, but it will be hard to get closer to heaven!
A little guide to Torridonian Fall here:
Sept 2010 - Beinn Damh
Nov 2011 - Fuar Tholl
Sept 2012 - Beinn Liath Mhor
Sept 2013 - Beinn Alligin
Sept 2014 - Beinn Dearg
Following the tradition, we picked another mountain to add to this list for 2015 - Beinn an Eoin. I know that the best way for this hill is a long traverse in combination with Baosbheinn, but as I'm still not 100% sure about Kevin's back (though he is mostly recovered), we decided to climb BaE by itself. We picked Sunday rather than Saturday, to be sure no stalking was taking place in Flowerdale Forest.
No regrets whatsoever, quite the opposite. It was magnificent ridgewalking with views to kill for! And Kevin is now besotted with Baosbheinn, keeps saying we must return to climb this one too, and preferably in nice conditions.
Our route up Beinn an Eoin follows WH description. We stated from the north, from Am Feur-Loch and followed a good path all the way to the bottom of the mountain, then picked our way up the steep ground to gain the northern end of the ridge... and the rest was just pure mountain p*o*r*n
Black Arrow was parked next to an old, yellow shed, where we found ample parking space. Another couple of walkers started at the same time, but they were on bikes and they soon disappeared on the horizon
Mind you, I'm not convinced I'd enjoy cycling on that path... Too rough for my standards, but I'm a rubbish cyclist so no surprise here The morning was rather quiet and warm, some high cloud scattered in the sky but it looked like we were going to have a good day! We were attacked by midges of course and had to grab our good old friend DEET. Oh, so typically Scottish
Meall Lochan a' Chleirich, a wee Sub'2000, seems a nice half-day top to climb if only for views down to Loch Maree:
We enjoyed the stroll into the heart of Flowerdale Forest, soon views started to open up and we spotted Baosbheinn - what a magnificent ridge:
The paths are well marked, looks like the estate welcomes ramblers, and with such views even the walk to Loch na h-Oidche and back would be a delight! The main path descends slightly towards the narrow glen of Abhainn a'Gharbh Choire:
Slioch wearing a woolly hat
The path is more like a track towards the end, and the sun was just rising from behind "our" hill...
We crossed Abhainn Loch na h-Oidhche on stepping stones (not much water in the river) and soon left the comfortable track for more rough terrain...
This TR will be full of photos of Baosbheinn from many different angles...
The "north face" of BaE is almost vertical, but all difficulties can be avoided by traversing to the west, below the steep rocks. Further west, the ground is easier, with grass and scattered boulders, and we had no problem at all gaining height. There is even a sketchy sort-of -a-path to help with navigation.
Ehmmm.... I'm not going up that side
Baosbheinn from the lower slopes of Eoin:
Having avoided all scrambling, we ascended about 150m from the bottom of the hill onto a wee flatter section, where we experienced the torridonian heaven for the first time today...
Slioch now basking in sunshine:
Distant An Teallach:
I was already overwhelmed with views and the best was yet to come!
After a short break for a few ahhs and ohhs, we continued up this not-very-friendly-looking slope:
The steep section was quite wet and slippery but soon the angle eased off and with stupendous views around we couldn't believe our luck. What a day it was shaping up!
Slioch and the Fisherfields...
Panoramic version of mountains across Loch Maree:
Some high cloud still lingered over southern Torridon and when we emerged on the main ridge, the sun was gone if only for a short time. Time for some moody shots, Kevin said:
I couldn't take my eyes off Liathach, it's seen from a weird angle and the main ridge forms a kind of crescent shape with the pinnacles in the middle. The sun was behind it, which made for even more "spooky" climate:
We were on the first top (682m) and from here we couldn't see the whole length of the ridge, but having glimpsed at the map, Kevin said - this ridge is two miles long! Ha! It's going to be 2 miles of pure pleasure, I thought
Fionn Bheinn, easy to recognize, the only regular shape around...
As we continued along the ridge to the second top (715m), the sun came back to Baosbheinn. What a lovely mountain, Kevin said, we must, absolutely must come back to do it! I stated it reminded me of Beinn Alligin, like it's younger brother! Hopefully it will be just as delightful traverse when we get around to it!
The first top from the middle one, the world of water beyond:
The ground is more rocky further up but no scrambling required anywhere on the ridge. Plenty of boulders to climb for posing though
Me, boulder and Beinn Airigh Charr:
The "p*o*r*nographic" ridge:
The dark, spooky Torridon:
This is the final, steeper section. A well-worn path can be followed. It's easy as for torridonian standards!
From near the summit we at last had a good look at Beinn Eighe. There aren't very many vantage points for good, distant view of Corrie Mhic Fearchair, and Beinn an Eoin is one of them:
I couldn't resist the temptation to fiddle with one of my photos to give the corrie more vivid colours - just to make the Triple Buttress more visible:
Zoom to the Fannichs:
Slioch and A'Mhaighdean (which I nicknamed Armageddon, easier to pronounce
)View north...
Zoomed pinnacles of the Forge:
Someone up here's happy... Our first NEW hill since the first week of August and bang! The best weather we could possibly have this time of the year! Scottish autumn can be unpredictable, but this year blessed us with some incredible conditions.
The final, narrow section just before the summit:
The true summit is marked with a miniature cairn, only a few steps away from the summit shelter. Views - priceless.
Baosbheinn still looking to me like Alligin Junior!
Beinn Eighe, Meall a'Ghiubhais and Beinn a'Chearcaill, the latter one is on our list for a winter walk:
Slioch, oh Slioch... To me it looks more like a castle , it should be called An Caisteil or something like that... But who am I to rename mountains?
Once more - the wild Torridon:
...and a wild husband
A wild lamb, too? Nah, it's just Lucy posing on the top of her 14th Corbett!
Kevin spent far too much time playing with his camera, we ended up with over 300 photos
and I really had a hard job to pick the best ones for this report!We sat on a flat rock just by the summit shelter, had our sandwiches and enjoyed the views. We talked mostly about different methods of tackling Baosbheinn and I don't know where the time went, but who could blame us for enjoying the magic of this place?
Just as we were about to leave, I spotted a pair of walkers approaching the summit from the southern side and guess who it was?? I knew the Weasels were rambling about Torridon but didn't expect to run into them on the summit of Eoin!
We descended the ridge together, chatting mostly about hills, ticks and midges
It was fantastic to have met you, Al and Alison, I hope we bump into each other again - Scotland is not as big as one might think The Weasels were heading for Baosbheinn so we waved goodbye when we reached the road, me and Kevin heading back north. We also said bye to this wonderful area, but hopefully not for long. We will return here for sure.
Beinn an Eoin in sunshine:
On the way back we had better light for photographing the glen of Abhainn a'Gharbh Choire:
The walk took us 8 hours which was painfully slow but we simply lingered about too much, taking so many stops for photos and just gazing in the distance... What a day it was. there's no better place to be on a sunny Sunday than the peaks of Torridon.
Summing up - BaE is a CRACKER. Long-ish walk in but on a good track, no obstacles on the ridge, not too wet, some steep slopes, but it's an easy mountain as for Torridon. So worth the effort. Don't know where the hillwalking madness will take us next time, but it will be hard to get closer to heaven!
havent been to Torrdon for a while, but meet is coming up, so bound to get there soon.. 
Always interesting to meet others as well - odd the places in which they turn up 