Beinn Bhan

About Beinn Bhan

Rising dramatically above the Applecross peninsula, this Corbett is defined by its spectacular eastern face, where tiered sandstone corries bite deep into the summit plateau. While the western slopes are relatively gentle, the top offers a vertiginous transition to the sheer crags of Coire na Poite and views across the Inner Sound to Skye.

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Did You Know?

• •The name translates from Scottish Gaelic as the 'White Mountain.' While its Torridonian sandstone is fundamentally dark red, the name likely refers to the way the high plateau holds snow long into the spring or how the light catches the pale quartzite capping found on many peaks in this region.
• •The eastern side is famous for six massive, deeply-incised glacial corries. Of these, Coire na Poite (Corrie of the Pot) is the most spectacular, boasting a 300-metre vertical backwall that serves as a major venue for serious winter ice climbing.
• •From the summit cairn, the view west across the Inner Sound is dominated by the jagged skyline of the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye, while to the north, the great Torridon peaks of Liathach and Beinn Eighe appear as hulking, grey fortresses.
• •The hill is a textbook display of Torridonian sandstone stratification. The horizontal tiers of rock visible on the corrie walls represent sediments laid down over a billion years ago in ancient river systems, long before life on land existed.
• •Despite the hill's formidable eastern precipices, the most common source of adrenaline for many visitors is the drive over the Bealach na Bà to reach the start, a mountain pass that often requires more nerve than the hike itself.