Geo-Trips :: Climbing Beinn Bhuidhe from the roadside
Glen Fyne
A walk from The head of Loch Fyne, Fri, 4 Mar 2011 by Richard Law
Beinn Bhuidhe, at 948m, isn't a particularly high Munro - it's around no 216 in the ranked list, out of 280+. However, since the nearest accessible carparking is basically at sea level where the A83 curves around the head of Loch Fyne, you have to earn every one of its 3110 feet. On this trip, we cycled up the estate road as far as the gate which attempts to prevent further riding, as seen in Richard Webb's photo at NN2216 : Gate, Glen Fyne, squeezed through, and dropped the bikes & tents just the other side of the fence, From there it's all walking up the track, as the Fyne estate positively discourages cycling any further up the Landrover-ready track... yes, I know. The route turned up the steep eastern flanks of Beinn Bhuidhe close to the old farm at Inverchorachan, from where the uphill grind begins, then levels out a bit around the 2000ft mark, followed by another steep final climb up onto the Munro with the remains of its lightning-struck trig. We went a little way NE along the ridge, but with no obvious sign of improvement in the weather, bailed off back downhill and to the tent. The following day was spent picking off the nearby Corbett of Meall an Fhudair.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Point 901 - a minor summit of Beinn Bhuidhe
Unnamed on any of the maps that I can find, this is the cairn at the top of the... more
The burn draining Coire Dubh
A small but steep waterfall on the burn draining the corrie above.
Lower Coire Dubh
The higher corrie above is given the name Coire Dubh; it's then separated from the... more
Track in Glen Fyne
The track up the glen, here at the bridge crossing the Allt a' Mhuilinn.
Hillside with a boulder above Glen Fyne
A steep slope rises, more or less directly from the River Fyne, for several... more
Misty morning on the road up Glen Fyne
Heading up Glen Fyne beyond Achadunan for a day on Beinn Bhuidhe - the cloud... more
Sheepfolds and forest near Auchreoch
New house in Glen Fyne
Relatively newly-built, a large house with the NW slope of Binnein an Fhidleir... more
Bridge over cold water
The bridge takes the track to the hydro station and the Allt na Lairige dam; one... more
Sheepshed near Inverchorachan
This was built in 1968, to replace a shed nearer the house at Inverchorachan,... more
The valley of the Allt na Lairige
Forested on either side, and with a hydro road running up the valley to the dam,... more
The track to Inverchorachan
The house/farm at Inverchorachan is just visible about 200 yards away, with the... more
Inverchorachan farm
The deserted building at Inverchorachan. It's no longer inhabited, but shows signs... more
The footbridge at Inverchorachan
Nowadays looking far from safe, with extensive rotting to the timbers, the bridge... more
Sheepfolds and a sheepdip at Inverchorachan
Abandoned sheepdips above the farm at Inverchorachan, with the steep slopes of... more
The main coire of the Allt na Faing
Climbing Beinn Bhuidhe from Inverchorachan (but not using the more popular path on... more
Grassy 'alp' that supports deer, high in the upper coire high on Beinn Bhuidhe
At this time of year, high above the normal range of the sheep, this area supports... more
Summit clutter & cairn on Beinn Bhuidhe
A collapsed trig point and a growing cairn which is gradually burying the trig, at... more
Remains of the trig on Beinn Bhuidhe
Picnic below Point 901
Not the sort of place you'd normally choose to stop and eat, and the conditions... more
High in Coire Dubh
A cloudy view across the upper reaches of Coire Dubh and the Allt a' Mhuilinn that... more
Southwards across Coire Dubh
Snow patches and rocky knolls high in Coire Dubh, with the typical montane... more
Down the Allt a' Mhuilinn
Looking down the burn from upper Coire Dubh; this shows how sudden and steep the... more
Negotiating a way down from the upper coire
With a bit of trial and error, and a few false leads onto these rocky bluffs, a... more
Lower Coire Dubh
Grassy slopes and rock outcrops around the Allt a' Mhuilinn burn.
Across lower Coire Dubh
The main area of the lower coire, with the eastern 'ridge' of Ceann Garbh just... more
A new fence runs across the hillside
Not marked on the maps, a new sheep fence runs across the hillside at about 450m,... more
Across Glen Fyne towards Trosgiche and Meall an Fhudair
Down the Allt a' Mhuilinn (just visible bottom right) across the glacial trench of... more
Confluence on the Allt a' Mhuilinn
A tributary of the main burn comes in here from the left, joining the Allt a'... more
Waterslide on the Allt a' Mhuilinn
A small waterslide on the burn, which becomes a waterfall soon afterwards.
Waterfall on the Allt a' Mhuilinn
Shielings in Glen Fyne
The collapsed remains of a series of shielings on the hillside close to Inverchorachan.
Up Glen Fyne towards Ben Oss
Wild campsite in Glen Fyne
Campsite beside the River Fyne; we used this site as it was adjacent to the cycle... more
A ford on the Glen Fyne track
One of several well made, and well maintained, fords on the track that runs up the glen.
Old shielings and sheep fank walls in Glen Fyne
A collection of collapsed walls and shieling outlines on the far side of the River... more
Forest patch and a minor burn in Glen Fyne
The burn drains the SE side of Ceann Garbh, a substantial hill on the ridge to the... more
The other ford on the Glen Fyne track
All images © Richard Law and available under a
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