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I'd been wanting to do this for a while as it's close to home and a fairly short walk. The weather promised to be good all morning so i parked the car in Achnasheen and started walking at 8.20am just as it was starting to get light.
![Fionn Bhein 010.jpg]()
- Red sky over Achnasheen
I followed the Allt for the recommended two kilometres and then headed for the hill but it soon became apparent that i had gone wrong somewhere as i spent ages dragging myself through bog and ended up with a fairly steep climb up the wrong side of the first shoulder. From here it was fairly straightforward although still very wet underfoot until not long before finally reaching the ridge.
![Fionn Bhein 013.jpg]()
- The final walk along the ridge to the summit
The views from the top definitely make this walk worth it, although it somehow just didn't feel like a Munro to me. It wasn't the best day for light as it was clouding over by the time I reached the summit at about 10.30. There were still good views to be had of the Fannichs, the Torridon hills and the Achnashellach hills.
On the return walk, I tried to stick to the recommended route and knowing that I wasn't going to avoid the bogs at this time of year I just went for it and found it much easier than the route i took on the way up. I walked down the shoulder of the lower hill until I reached two wooden posts (a handy landmark) then turned back towards the burn. Once I reached the burn and followed it back to the gate off the hill, I realised what my mistake this morning was - I'd followed the wrong burn on the way up.
On the way down, I saw two walkers heading up the same way I had gone and I wished I could somehow signal them to go up the way I was coming down as it would be much easier for them. I hope they had a better ascent than me.
To anyone else doing this walk, I'd recommend looking for the wooden gate onto the hill and not the metal gate just after it which I went through. From there, cross and follow the burn uphill until you see those two wooden posts and head for them. From there, it's a straight walk up top the ridge.
Overall, not a bad morning's walk and I got back to the car less than 4 hours after setting off and just seconds before the rain started.
A good wee walk which would be much more enjoyable after a warm, dry spell. 2/5
