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.
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:
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:
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 !
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.
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.
The Road to the Hills, however, is the ongoing rightward fork that heads up the long and impressively craggy Gleann Choinneachain.
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.
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!!
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:
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 .
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 ...):
The pleasantly graded path makes a slow ascent into the vast rocky amphitheatre of Coire an Sgairne:
Beinn Fhada's craggy north ridges were looking ever more impressive: I was mightily relieved that that wasn't the way up...
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.
All the same, it was a relief to top out on the north ridge . From here on the going really got much easier, but sadly I was about to ascend into the dreaded Clag ...
There was a nice hazy vista northwards on the other side of the ridge, however, towards Loch a' Bhealaich and Gleann Gaorsaic:
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!
A good view down over Loch a' Bhealaich from a bit higher up:
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.
I was well chuffed to have gotten this one bagged !
Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a view while I munched my Melton Mowbray pork pie:
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 !
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:
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:
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 !
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.
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:
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:
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 !
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.
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.
The Road to the Hills, however, is the ongoing rightward fork that heads up the long and impressively craggy Gleann Choinneachain.
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.
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!!
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:
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 .
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 ...):
The pleasantly graded path makes a slow ascent into the vast rocky amphitheatre of Coire an Sgairne:
Beinn Fhada's craggy north ridges were looking ever more impressive: I was mightily relieved that that wasn't the way up...
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.
All the same, it was a relief to top out on the north ridge . From here on the going really got much easier, but sadly I was about to ascend into the dreaded Clag ...
There was a nice hazy vista northwards on the other side of the ridge, however, towards Loch a' Bhealaich and Gleann Gaorsaic:
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!
A good view down over Loch a' Bhealaich from a bit higher up:
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.
I was well chuffed to have gotten this one bagged !
Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a view while I munched my Melton Mowbray pork pie:
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 !
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:
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:
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 !
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: 1
A' Ghlas-bheinn: a surprisingly rocky wee brute!
Munros: A' Ghlas-bheinnDate walked: 27/04/2023
Distance: 10.1km
Ascent: 1000m
Views: 263
"At home, he sits on a spike!" - visiting the Whiteadders
Sub 2000s: SpartletonDate walked: 28/11/2022
Distance: 9km
Ascent: 350m
Comments: 2
Views: 527
1, 2
The North Loch Mullardoch Munros - a cautionary tale
Munros: An Riabhachan, An Socach (Mullardoch), Càrn nan Gobhar (Loch Mullardoch), Sgùrr na LapaichDate walked: 03/09/2022
Distance: 29km
Ascent: 1826m
Comments: 15
Views: 2742
Braeriach etc ticked, but a Devil of a job on Carn a' Mhaim!
Munros: Braeriach, Cairn Toul, Càrn a' Mhàim, Sgòr an Lochain Uaine, The Devil's PointDate walked: 10/07/2022
Distance: 41km
Ascent: 2750m
Comments: 1
Views: 1001
Normal service is resumed: getting wet in Glen Carron
Munros: Sgùrr a' Chaorachain, Sgùrr ChòinnichDate walked: 08/06/2022
Distance: 21km
Ascent: 1251m
Comments: 1
Views: 741
Beinn Alligin - tackling Torridon's horny old devil
Munros: Sgùrr Mòr (Beinn Alligin), Tom na Gruagaich (Beinn Alligin)Date walked: 06/06/2022
Distance: 10.5km
Ascent: 1190m
Comments: 1
Views: 1020
It's big & grey! It's red & pointy! The Achnashellach Munros
Munros: Beinn Liath Mhòr, Sgòrr RuadhDate walked: 05/06/2022
Distance: 16.5km
Ascent: 1360m
Comments: 4
Views: 3013
The One and Only Ladhar Bheinn
Munros: Ladhar BheinnDate walked: 15/05/2022
Distance: 23.9km
Ascent: 1560m
Comments: 4
Views: 2193
"Sandy, Why-y-y-y?" - Beinn na Gainimh & Auchnafree Hill
Corbetts: Auchnafree HillFionas: Beinn na Gainimh
Date walked: 09/04/2022
Distance: 24km
Ascent: 1195m
Comments: 4
Views: 1220
-
bobble_hat_kenny
- 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
- Filter reports
- Trips: 2
- Distance: 28.1 km
- Ascent: 2110m
- Munros: 2
- Trips: 11
- Distance: 217.7 km
- Ascent: 14297m
- Munros: 16
- Corbetts: 4
- Fionas: 3
- Sub2000s: 1
- Trips: 14
- Distance: 246.2 km
- Ascent: 15864m
- Munros: 15
- Corbetts: 4
- Fionas: 2
- Sub2000s: 2
- Trips: 10
- Distance: 201.2 km
- Ascent: 10155m
- Munros: 16
- Corbetts: 1
- Fionas: 2
- Sub2000s: 1
- Trips: 9
- Distance: 186 km
- Ascent: 12075m
- Munros: 13
- Corbetts: 3
- Fionas: 3
- Trips: 19
- Distance: 296 km
- Ascent: 22547m
- Munros: 27
- Corbetts: 7
- Fionas: 3
- Sub2000s: 3
- Trips: 15
- Distance: 291.5 km
- Ascent: 17620m
- Munros: 18
- Corbetts: 3
- Fionas: 7
- Hewitts: 2
- Trips: 13
- Distance: 287.6 km
- Ascent: 17600m
- Munros: 26
- Corbetts: 3
- Fionas: 4
- Donalds: 1
- Trips: 16
- Distance: 283.65 km
- Ascent: 16707m
- Munros: 24
- Corbetts: 3
- Fionas: 3
- Donalds: 3
- Sub2000s: 5
- Trips: 18
- Distance: 299.4 km
- Ascent: 20155m
- Munros: 14
- Corbetts: 6
- Fionas: 9
- Donalds: 5
- Sub2000s: 5
- Trips: 15
- Distance: 185.25 km
- Ascent: 12412m
- Munros: 15
- Corbetts: 2
- Fionas: 3
- Donalds: 1
- Sub2000s: 5
- Trips: 22
- Distance: 313.75 km
- Ascent: 20595m
- Munros: 27
- Corbetts: 3
- Fionas: 5
- Donalds: 6
- Sub2000s: 4
- Trips: 1
- Distance: 4.5 km
- Ascent: 350m
- Sub2000s: 1
- Joined: Sep 03, 2011
- Last visited: Apr 05, 2024
- Total posts: 382 | Search posts