Beinn Chuirn

Beinn Chùirn is a hill five kilometres west-southwest of Tyndrum on the edge of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It stands where Stirlingshire meets Perthshire and reaches 880 metres. The name means ‘cairn hill’ in Gaelic and marks an old boundary between the Picts and Dál Riata. From the east it resembles its taller neighbour Ben Lui, often confusing drivers on the A82. Recent years have brought interest after a gold vein was found on its lower slopes. The hill has a prominence of 446 metres and is surrounded by glens and cols. Glen Lochy lies to the north and the Cononish valley to the south. An east-facing corrie called Coire na Saobhaidhe has steep walls and a small lochan sits just below the summit. A ridge running south-east holds the Allt Eas Anie gorge with waterfalls and winter ice climbs. The northern slopes below 350 metres are covered in coniferous woodland. Two popular routes climb Beinn Chùirn. One starts in Cononish glen and follows the south-east ridge past old mine workings and the Eas Anie gorge. The other begins in Glen Lochy, crosses the River Lochy and winds through forest to the summit ridge. The summit is a large flat area with an old fence and a cairn. The hill’s drainage feeds both the west and east coasts of Scotland.