Bynack Beg

About Bynack Beg

Tucked onto the northern shoulder of Bynack More, this high granite plateau offers a subtler charm than its parent peak. It is characterized by wind-scoured heath and gritstone outcrops, providing a superb vantage point overlooking the ancient pines of Abernethy Forest and the distant, rounded summits of the Cromdale hills.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic 'A' Bheithneag Bheag', which translates as 'The Little Cap' or 'The Little Pointed Hill'. This identifies it as the smaller companion to the dominant 1,090-metre Bynack More, located immediately to the south.
• •Despite standing well over the 3,000-foot mark, the hill is classified as a Munro Top rather than a Munro. This is because it lacks the necessary 're-ascent' or topographical prominence from its parent peak to be considered a separate mountain in Sir Hugh Munro's original tables.
• •The summit provides an excellent profile view of the Barns of Bynack, a series of enormous granite tors on the eastern ridge of the main massif. From this angle, the weather-beaten stone stacks look like a line of ruined fortresses guarding the approach to the high plateau.
• •The western slopes of the hill drop steeply into the Strath Nethy, a deep glacial trough. From the cairn, walkers can look straight down into this remote valley toward the Ryvoan Pass and the bright turquoise waters of An Lochan Uaine.
• •Bynack Beg serves as an excellent 'wind gauge' for the area; if the gusts are strong enough to knock you off balance here, the exposed crossing to the main summit of Bynack More is likely to be twice as entertaining.
• •The hill overlooks the historic Lairig an Laoigh (Pass of the Calves). This ancient right-of-way was once a major artery for cattle drovers moving livestock from the lowlands of Moray through the high Cairngorm passes toward the markets of the south.