Beinn Fhada

Beinn Fhada rises above the Kyle of Lochalsh in the north-west Highlands. Its Gaelic name means ‘long mountain’, and it stands beside the quiet village of Morvich. The slopes begin gently beside the River Croe, where grass gives way to boggy ground. A grassy track climbs eastwards until the ground steepens into a narrow ridge. The ridge winds south over rocky knolls before swinging east across the wide Plaide Mhòr plateau. The mountain holds two features that set it apart from ordinary hills. The Plaide Mhòr is the largest patch of ancient land surface left in the western Highlands, little changed since before the ice ages. On the south-west flank, great trenches slice the slope for three kilometres. These trenches reach ten metres high and stretch eight hundred metres long, making this the biggest rock-slope collapse in the Highlands. Walkers who reach the summit find a broad, undulating ridge with wide views over Kintail and the islands. The ridge ends at a craggy crest where the wind often blows. A simpler way down leads north-west into Gleann Choinneachain, a quiet glen lined with birch and alder. The whole round trip from Morvich is about seven kilometres and climbs eleven hundred metres, crossing bog, rock and ridge.