Beinn Alligin (minus the pinnacles)
Munros: Sgùrr Mòr (Beinn Alligin), Tom na Gruagaich (Beinn Alligin)
Date walked: 26/05/2024
Time taken: 5 hours
Distance: 9.5km
Ascent: 1150m
This was the last hillwalk of my trip of which the weather during the second half had deteriorated but was still mostly usable. This was another of my bucket list hills and despite the overcast conditions, decided to give it a go and hopefully I would get some views from the ridge. I also wanted to have a go at the pinnacles which I didn't do due to gusty conditions on the second Munro summit and being warned by a couple of other walkers who had turned back that the route over the pinnacles was exposed.
Managed to get the last space in a layby opposite the car park and headed off up the clear path. The architecture of this mountain is stunning, lots of terracing and a very aesthetic shape overall. The clouds stayed above the summits so I got good views to Liathach and that empty glen behind it, and to Beinn Dearg which if I am here again, I would like to climb that after traversing the full ridge given it is very close, and providing there is a way up from the north-west side of it, I should be able to do it.
I was surprised by the narrow glen the path climbed up and the path makes good progress upward with excellent views back to loch Torridon and loch Damph. I reached the first munro still with clear views and the rest of the mountain looked superb from this vantage point. A bit of care required to descend slightly to get to the ridge and it was a straightforward walk to the next munro. I met a couple of people coming the other way, one who said the pinnacles route is exposed and he decided against it so was doing an out-and-back route. I got to the second munro by which time the cloud had descended, the weather looked like it was deteriorating, and the wind had picked up so I decided to leave the pinnacles for another day, so turned round. There is a nice cleft on the way up to the second Munro which I had a good look at and went off-path for a short distance to what looked like a small spur off the main ridge.
By the time I got back to the first munro the cloud had come right down and it was some time descending down that tight glen before I emerged from the cloud. I got caught in a light shower on the way down but not enough to bother putting on the waterproof trousers. When on flat ground took a tumble but fortunately landed on soft ground and vegetation so no injury. These things can happen even when you are trying to be careful and is always a risk when the rocks and stones get wet.
With missing out on the pinnacles and Liathach I guess I have an excuse to go back there at some point, but whether I will fluke the weather again who knows? It is a long way to go to experience a week of clag and rain with no views.
Managed to get the last space in a layby opposite the car park and headed off up the clear path. The architecture of this mountain is stunning, lots of terracing and a very aesthetic shape overall. The clouds stayed above the summits so I got good views to Liathach and that empty glen behind it, and to Beinn Dearg which if I am here again, I would like to climb that after traversing the full ridge given it is very close, and providing there is a way up from the north-west side of it, I should be able to do it.
I was surprised by the narrow glen the path climbed up and the path makes good progress upward with excellent views back to loch Torridon and loch Damph. I reached the first munro still with clear views and the rest of the mountain looked superb from this vantage point. A bit of care required to descend slightly to get to the ridge and it was a straightforward walk to the next munro. I met a couple of people coming the other way, one who said the pinnacles route is exposed and he decided against it so was doing an out-and-back route. I got to the second munro by which time the cloud had descended, the weather looked like it was deteriorating, and the wind had picked up so I decided to leave the pinnacles for another day, so turned round. There is a nice cleft on the way up to the second Munro which I had a good look at and went off-path for a short distance to what looked like a small spur off the main ridge.
By the time I got back to the first munro the cloud had come right down and it was some time descending down that tight glen before I emerged from the cloud. I got caught in a light shower on the way down but not enough to bother putting on the waterproof trousers. When on flat ground took a tumble but fortunately landed on soft ground and vegetation so no injury. These things can happen even when you are trying to be careful and is always a risk when the rocks and stones get wet.
With missing out on the pinnacles and Liathach I guess I have an excuse to go back there at some point, but whether I will fluke the weather again who knows? It is a long way to go to experience a week of clag and rain with no views.
Click to mark this as a great report. Register or Login free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Comments: 2
Slioch with SE England summer weather

Date walked: 21/05/2024
Distance: 19km
Ascent: 1144m
Comments: 3
Views: 589
Applecross corbetts

Date walked: 19/05/2024
Distance: 15km
Ascent: 1030m
Comments: 1
Views: 404
Cadair Idris horseshoe

Date walked: 28/04/2024
Distance: 12.8km
Ascent: 880m
Views: 559
Snowdon horseshoe

Date walked: 27/04/2024
Distance: 11km
Ascent: 885m
Comments: 3
Views: 740
Carnedau horseshoe from Ogwen valley

Date walked: 26/03/2024
Distance: 14km
Ascent: 920m
Comments: 2
Views: 715
Snowdon via the Watkin path

Date walked: 25/03/2024
Distance: 12.5km
Ascent: 975m
Comments: 3
Views: 664
Training walk: Lewes to Hassocks

Distance: 19.5km
Ascent: 700m
Views: 427
Training walk: South Downs

Distance: 23km
Ascent: 540m
Comments: 2
Views: 818
Ben Avon (not quite) and Beinn a Bhuird from Keiloch

Date walked: 15/06/2022
Distance: 37km
Ascent: 1220m
Comments: 2
Views: 1372
-
al78
- Activity: Walker
- Place: Wester Ross
- Ideal day out: A bike & hike or a long walk to set up base campo. Taking aim at a summit or three, with some not too technical scrambling, a nice narrow ridge walk around a corrie where the gouging effect of past glaciers can be seen, and a (clear) view from the summit that covers thousands of square miles with no evidence of human activity.
- Munros: 37
- Corbetts: 17
- Donalds: 1
- Filter reports
- Trips: 9
- Distance: 136.3 km
- Ascent: 8224m
- Munros: 3
- Corbetts: 2
- Hewitts: 10
- Trips: 4
- Distance: 93 km
- Ascent: 2985m
- Munros: 3
- Corbetts: 1
- Hewitts: 5
- Wainwrights 7
- Trips: 6
- Distance: 86.5 km
- Ascent: 500m
- Trips: 1
- Trips: 4
- Distance: 95 km
- Ascent: 1180m
- Hewitts: 1
- Trips: 1
- Distance: 50 km
- Joined: Feb 01, 2018
- Last visited: May 24, 2025
- Total posts: 1585 | Search posts