Carn na Beiste

About Carn na Beiste

Overlooking the southern shores of Loch Maree, this rugged North West Highland hill offers a wild, pathless character typical of the Gairloch hills. Rising above the Flowerdale Forest, its rocky summit provides a grandstand view of the Slioch massif across the water and the sandstone ramparts of neighbouring Baosbheinn.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is Gaelic, with Càrn na Bèiste translating as 'Cairn of the Beast'. In Highland toponymy, 'beast' usually refers to a wild animal, potentially a reference to wolves that once inhabited these remote glens.
• •It is frequently climbed as part of a longer excursion from the Flowerdale Estate near Gairloch, often paired with the nearby Graham, Baosbheinn. The intervening ground is classic Gneiss territory—rough, broken, and often exceptionally wet.
• •The summit offers a particularly clear perspective of the 'Great Wilderness' to the northeast, including the jagged skyline of the Fisherfield Forest peaks and the deep trough of Loch Maree.
• •Despite its modest height of 518 metres, the hill's status as a Hump (a hill with a prominence of at least 100 metres) ensures it feels isolated and commanding despite the proximity of much higher neighbours.
• •True to its name, the hill can be something of a beast to access; the approach requires a stoic attitude toward the North West's legendary peat bogs and lack of established trails.