Scotland
Carn Beag
460M
1509FT
About Carn Beag
This modest Sutherland summit rises from the wild, peat-covered moorlands east of Loch Eriboll. Though low in stature, its isolation in the far North West Highlands ensures a sense of profound solitude. The terrain is characteristically rugged and boggy, rewarding those who navigate the hags with expansive views across the remote Moine peninsula.
Key Statistics
Rank
190th Highest in Region
Parent Range
North West Highlands
Prominence
?
121m
Nearest Town
Highland
Geology
You are walking across the Crom Psammite Formation, a sturdy landscape of hardened, sandy stone and fine-grained, clay-rich rock.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NH544773
Latitude
57.7619°N
Longitude
4.4476°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic 'Càrn Beag', meaning 'small cairn' or 'small stony hill', reflecting its diminutive status compared to the nearby giants of the Reay Forest.
- •From the summit, walkers gain a distinctive perspective of Ben Hope’s massive northern profile and the multi-peaked silhouette of Ben Loyal rising across the Kyle of Tongue.
- •The hill sits within the A' Mhoine peninsula, an area famous for its vast blanket bog and, more recently, as the site selected for the UK's first vertical-launch spaceport.
- •While the name translates to 'small cairn', the actual summit feature is so understated it may require a bit of searching amongst the heather to feel like you have truly arrived.