Beinn Sgritheall NW Top

Rising sharply above the salt waters of Loch Hourn, this rugged subsidiary shoulder offers an airy perspective of the Northwest Highlands. While often overshadowed by its parent peak, the NW Top provides a wide vantage point over the Sound of Sleat toward the jagged silhouette of the Cuillin on Skye.

• •The name Beinn Sgritheall is derived from the Gaelic for 'Mountain of Scree', likely incorporating the Old Norse word 'skriða' meaning a landslip. This is an apt description of the notoriously steep, loose slopes that characterize the mountain's flanks above Arnisdale.
• •From this 928-metre summit, the view south looks directly into the depths of Loch Hourn, frequently cited as Scotland's most dramatic sea loch, with the 'Great Moor' of Knoydart and the peaks of Ladhar Bheinn and Luinne Bheinn dominating the horizon.
• •Most walkers visit this top as part of a traverse from the main Munro summit, following a high-level ridge that provides a grandstand view of the Small Isles—Eigg, Rum, and Canna—drifting in the Atlantic to the west.
• •Despite being classified as a mere Munro Top, the NW Top offers no respite for the legs; the descent toward Bealach na h-Eangair is every bit as uncompromisingly steep as the mountain’s reputation suggests.