Beinn a' Chaisteil

About Beinn a' Chaisteil

Standing as a prominent sentinel north of Tyndrum, this steep-sided Corbett offers a rugged ascent characterized by grassy slopes and craggy outcrops. It is often climbed alongside its neighbour, Beinn Odhar. The summit provides a commanding perspective over the West Highland Way and the sprawling peat hags of Rannoch Moor.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is Gaelic for 'Mountain of the Castle,' a reference to the architectural, fortress-like appearance of the mountain's steep northeastern crags when viewed from the glens below.
• •It is almost exclusively climbed alongside its southern neighbour, Beinn Odhar; the two are linked by a high col at the Bealach Coire Thippail, making for a classic two-Corbett day from the hamlet of Auch.
• •The lower slopes provide a bird's-eye view of the West Highland Railway's famous horseshoe curve, a feat of Victorian engineering where the tracks perform a massive U-turn to navigate the local topography.
• •From the summit cairn, walkers are treated to an exceptional profile of the conical Beinn Dorain to the north, while the distant, jagged skyline of the Glencoe peaks is visible on clear days.
• •For a 'castle,' it is notoriously lacking in masonry; the primary defences a walker will encounter are near-vertical banks of wet grass that require more calf strength than siege engines.