Scotland
Beinn Bheigier
491M
1611FT
About Beinn Bheigier
Standing as the highest point on Islay, this rugged Marilyn offers a wild, pathless character typical of the island’s south-eastern moorland. The ascent through the Ardtalla Estate is often boggy, but the reward is a commanding trig point summit with uninterrupted views across the Sound of Jura to the Paps.
Key Statistics
Rank
38th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Southern Hebrides
Prominence
?
491m
Nearest Town
Argyll and Bute
Geology
The ground here belongs to the Jura Quartzite Formation. This tough, durable rock forms the solid foundation you are walking on today.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NR429564
Latitude
55.7332°N
Longitude
6.0954°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is likely a Gaelic adaptation of the Old Norse Vikar-fjall, meaning 'mountain of the bay', though it is also frequently translated from Gaelic as 'the Vicar’s Hill'.
- •At 491 metres, it is the highest point on Islay and the island's only Marilyn, making it the primary objective for walkers looking to survey the entire Southern Hebridean archipelago.
- •From the summit trig pillar, the view north is dominated by the unmistakable three-peaked silhouette of the Paps of Jura, while the Kintyre Peninsula and the peaks of Arran are visible to the east.
- •On exceptionally clear days, the perspective extends south across the North Channel to the coastline of Northern Ireland, specifically the cliffs of Rathlin Island and the Antrim coast.
- •Despite its modest height and ecclesiastical nickname, the approach from Ardtalla involves enough unrelenting peat bog to test the patience of even the most devout walker.