Beinn a' Bheithir

Beinn a’ Bheithir rises above the south shore of Loch Leven in the Highland council area. Its two Munro summits, Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Dhonuill, stand just over a thousand metres high. The mountain curves in a broad horseshoe enclosing Gleann a’ Chaolais on its northern side. Conifer plantations cover the lower northern slopes, while the southern face drops steeply into Glen Duror. From Ballachulish village the bulk of the mountain dominates the skyline. The mountain carries a dramatic folk tale about a dragon that once terrorised the district. According to the story, the creature lived in Corrie Liath, a deep hollow high on the face above Ballachulish Pier. Local people were helpless until a skipper built a barrel bridge with iron spikes and lured the beast onto it. The dragon died at the far end of the bridge, and its whelp was later burned in a corn stack. A flat rock where the mother dragon lashed herself to death is still called the Dragon’s Rock. Walkers reach the summits by several routes. One of the gentlest starts through Gleann a’ Chaolais forest and climbs to the bealach at 757 metres between the two tops. From there both Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Dhonuill can be visited before descending the same way. Other paths follow the north and north-west ridges of Sgorr Dhearg or ascend steeply from Glen Duror. The summit ridges offer wide views across Loch Leven and the surrounding glens.