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Beinn Fhada: the Long Hill from Morvich

Route: Beinn Fhada, from Morvich

Munros: Beinn Fhada

Date walked: 07/05/2023

Time taken: 7.5 hours

Distance: 18km

Ascent: 1110m

We had a decidedly cold spring this year, but I had a good run of weekends with no work or family commitments, so despite a rather mixed weather forecast I set off for the second time in a fortnight to drive up north after work on a Friday evening, so that I could try to get a Munro done on the Saturday. I'd done A' Ghlas-bheinn from Morvich near Shiel Bridge just a couple of weeks earlier, and my target hill this time was its pal that sits on the opposite side of the glen, Beinn Fhada.
Beinn Fhada is well named The Long Hill - despite boasting only one Munro, it's really a mountain range in miniature and it stretches for miles along the northern side of western Glen Shiel. Although its western ridge looks intimidatingly jaggy from the A87, the Morvich approach thankfully gives a straightforward route up, with a good path pretty much all the way to the summit.

Beinn Fhada from Morvich.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts


I'd gotten booked into the Ratagan Youth Hostel on the Friday night: my first time here, believe it or not, and it is a famously scenic spot. I had an evening coffee on the Youth Hostel beach, admiring that famous view of the Sisterhood:
WR1- the Sisterhood from Ratagan YH on Friday evening.jpg

After a comfortable enough night's sleep (despite it being a top bunk!), I got a fairly early start, only pausing briefly at the Ratagan shoreline again to enjoy a fine early-morning view of that scarily jaggy west ridge of my target hill:
WR2 - morning view of jaggy western ridge of Beinn Fhada from Ratagan.jpg

I made the short drive to the NTS Outdoor Centre at Morvich, where I got parked okay and set off up the tarmac road to the bridge at Inchnacro. That jaggy western ridge wasn't looking any less scary close-up :shock: !
WR3 - same jaggy ridge close up from Morvich NTS Outdoor Centre.jpg

The start of the route couldn't be more straightforward, however, with a signed path branching off right from the ongoing vehicle track just a few metres from the other side of the Inchnacro bridge.
WR4 - signed start of hill path after bridge at Morvich.jpg

After passing through a gate to run through an attractive area of regenerating broadleaf forest for some distance on the south bank of the Abhainn Chonaig, the path emerges from the trees at another gate, shortly after which the signed path to the Falls of Glomach branches off left.
WR5 - Falls of Glomich off left here.jpg

The Road to the Hills, however, is the ongoing rightward fork that heads up the long and impressively craggy Gleann Choinneachain.
WR6 - ongoing path up the Gleann with A Ghlas Bheinn looking impressively craggy.jpg

As I'd noticed when doing A' Ghlas-bheinn a couple of weeks earlier (the two hills share this same initial approach route), there is a whopping big forestry track just on the other side of the glen, but it ends abruptly about two-thirds of the way up, so it would be no use for access to the Munros.
WR7 - further up Gleann with forestry track across on other side.jpg

Some nice waterfalls on the Abhainn Chonaig, and a pool that might be nice for a swim on a hot day, if you could just figure out a way of getting down to it safely!!
WR8 - nice waterfalls on the Allt and a pleasing pool but in a steep gully.jpg

Eventually the path reaches the Allt a' Choire Chaoil at the head of the glen, which has to be crossed using boulders as stepping stones: thankfully quite straightforward, today anyway. Beinn Fhada's craggy northern corries were looking very impressive from this angle:
WR9 - at river crossing with a nice waterfall on tributary burn and Beinn Fhada NW ridges looking impressive.jpg

On the other side of the burn, the path ascends via a series of three zigzags and then splits, with the left branch heading for the Bealach an Sgairne and A' Ghlas-bheinn, but the right branch making for Beinn Fhada. I turned rightwards of course, heading south-east into some increasingly impressive scenery :) .
WR10 - path heads eastwards into some impressive scenery.jpg

There was a fine view back down the Gleann Choinneachain (and no matter how often I type that, it doesn't get any easier to spell :roll: ...):
WR11 - fine view back down the Gleann.jpg

The pleasantly graded path makes a slow ascent into the vast rocky amphitheatre of Coire an Sgairne:
WR12 - impressive amphitheatre of the upper Coire.jpg

Beinn Fhada's craggy north ridges were looking ever more impressive: I was mightily relieved that that wasn't the way up...
WR13 - impressively craggy northern Fhada ridges - glad not the way up.jpg

Eventually the path zigzags steeply up the north-eastern slopes a bit short of Coire an Sgairne's steep headwall cliffs, to top out on Beinn Fhada's easy north ridge. Although the ascent does get steep for a bit, there is a good path all the way, which makes relatively light work of it.
WR14 - steep final ascent to skyline but there is a good path.jpg

All the same, it was a relief to top out on the north ridge :roll: . From here on the going really got much easier, but sadly I was about to ascend into the dreaded Clag :( ...
WR15 - topping out on the ridge but about to head into the Clag.jpg

There was a nice hazy vista northwards on the other side of the ridge, however, towards Loch a' Bhealaich and Gleann Gaorsaic:
WR16 - a hazy view out NW - sea away in the distance I think.jpg

As I headed on southwards up the Munro's north ridge, the Clag did reluctantly lift a bit, giving a nice view of the ridgeline, although sadly Fhada's summit was still firmly entrenched in the cloud!
WR17 - pleasingly rocky ongoing ridgeline but summit in Clag.jpg

A good view down over Loch a' Bhealaich from a bit higher up:
WR18 - nice view down to a large loch - check which.jpg

Without too much further ado, I found myself up at Fhada's summit trig point and stone windshelter, where I stopped for a spot of lunch.
WR19 - at trig point and stone windshelter.jpg

I was well chuffed to have gotten this one bagged :) !
WR20 - summit selfie.jpg

Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a view while I munched my Melton Mowbray pork pie:
WR21 - sadly not much of a view from trig point.jpg

Time to get back down, and I was very glad of that good path, when I found these bits of snow sitting at the edge of a big drop, just a short distance back down from the summit :shock: !
WR22 - bit of snow at edge of a big drop on descent from summit environs.jpg

A bit further down the ridge, there was a nice moment of visual drama, as the mist bubbled up out of the huge rocky cauldron of Coire an Sgairne:
WR23 - dramatic view of mist roiling out of rocky corrie on descent - thankfully not the way down.jpg

And my favourite view of the day was this one, of the Clag roiling over A' Ghlas-bheinn on the other side of the glen:
WR24 - lovely view of cloud roiling over A Ghlas-bheinn on descent.jpg

To my relief, it was easy to locate the descent path back down the western side of the north ridge into Coire an Sgairne, and from there it was a straightforward plod back down the way I'd come up, all the way to Morvich.
Even without a summit view, Beinn Fhada is one impressive mountain :D !

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Comments: 1



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bobble_hat_kenny


User avatar
Activity: Mountaineer
Pub: Kilchoan Hotel
Mountain: Cir Mhor
Place: Arran
Gear: walking poles
Member: none at present
Ideal day out: A multi-peak walk with good views.

Munros: 238
Corbetts: 43
Fionas: 43
Donalds: 19
Hewitts: 2
Sub 2000: 26



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Statistics

2023

Trips: 2
Distance: 28.1 km
Ascent: 2110m
Munros: 2

2022

Trips: 11
Distance: 217.7 km
Ascent: 14297m
Munros: 16
Corbetts: 4
Fionas: 3
Sub2000s: 1

2021

Trips: 14
Distance: 246.2 km
Ascent: 15864m
Munros: 15
Corbetts: 4
Fionas: 2
Sub2000s: 2

2020

Trips: 10
Distance: 201.2 km
Ascent: 10155m
Munros: 16
Corbetts: 1
Fionas: 2
Sub2000s: 1

2019

Trips: 9
Distance: 186 km
Ascent: 12075m
Munros: 13
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 3

2018

Trips: 19
Distance: 296 km
Ascent: 22547m
Munros: 27
Corbetts: 7
Fionas: 3
Sub2000s: 3

2017

Trips: 15
Distance: 291.5 km
Ascent: 17620m
Munros: 18
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 7
Hewitts: 2

2016

Trips: 13
Distance: 287.6 km
Ascent: 17600m
Munros: 26
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 4
Donalds: 1

2015

Trips: 16
Distance: 283.65 km
Ascent: 16707m
Munros: 24
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 3
Donalds: 3
Sub2000s: 5

2014

Trips: 18
Distance: 299.4 km
Ascent: 20155m
Munros: 14
Corbetts: 6
Fionas: 9
Donalds: 5
Sub2000s: 5

2013

Trips: 15
Distance: 185.25 km
Ascent: 12412m
Munros: 15
Corbetts: 2
Fionas: 3
Donalds: 1
Sub2000s: 5

2012

Trips: 22
Distance: 313.75 km
Ascent: 20595m
Munros: 27
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 5
Donalds: 6
Sub2000s: 4

2005

Trips: 1
Distance: 4.5 km
Ascent: 350m
Sub2000s: 1


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Last visited: Sep 25, 2023
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