Beinn Dearg

About Beinn Dearg

Rising steeply above the Ullapool road at Inverlael, this high Munro is the dominant peak of a four-summit circuit. Known for its extensive drystone 'Famine Wall' and wild, high-altitude plateau, the summit offers an immense, rugged perspective over the Great Wilderness of Fisherfield and the jagged peaks of Coigach.

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Did You Know?

• •The name translates from Scottish Gaelic as 'Red Mountain'. This is a reference to the granite rocks and scree found on its higher reaches, which take on a distinct reddish hue when caught in evening light.
• •A substantial drystone wall, known as the 'Destitution Wall' or 'Famine Wall', runs across the mountain's high col. It was built in the 1840s by local people as part of a work-for-food scheme during the Highland Potato Famine.
• •The summit area is a designated Special Protection Area because it provides a rare habitat for the dotterel. These hardy mountain birds migrate from North Africa to nest on the mossy, tundra-like ground of the Scottish Highlands.
• •While sometimes climbed alone, it is more commonly tackled as the high point of a demanding four-Munro circuit from Inverlael, alongside Cona' Mheall, Meall na Ceapraichean, and Eididh nan Clach Geala.
• •Looking west from the cairn, walkers are rewarded with a classic view of the serrated sandstone ridges of An Teallach, while the distinctive, shark-fin profile of Stac Pollaidh is visible to the northwest beyond Loch Broom.
• •Despite its name promising a splash of colour, the hill is most frequently encountered in a very specific shade of Highland grey, as its height makes it a first-class interceptor for Atlantic weather fronts.