Beinn Sgritheall

Beinn Sgritheall
Inverness-shire
Beinn Sgritheall from the Sleat peninsula of Skye
Summit:	3,196 feet NG835126

Beinn Sgritheall (or Beinn Sgriol) is a mountain in the Glenelg area of Inverness-shire. It reaches a height of 3,196 feet at its summit, and so it qualifies as a Munro. It is the highest mountain on the Glenelg peninsula, an area of largely uninhabited land bounded by Loch Alsh and Loch Duich to the north and by Loch Hourn to the west and south.

The main approach is via Arnisdale on the shores of Loch Hourn or by way of Gleann Beag to the north, with its well-known brochs. The view from the summit was described by Sir Hugh Munro, a founder member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, as "perhaps the most beautiful I have seen in Scotland".

Geography and geology

Beinn Sgritheall consists of a narrow, curved crest running parallel to the north shore of Loch Hourn from which several ridges extend. The south face of the mountain rises nearly 3,280 feet, from the level of Loch Hourn to its summit, in 1.0 mile (1.6 km). It has three tops:

• The summit (3,196 feet)
• Middle Top (also 3,196 feet)
• East Top (2,972 feet).

The upper parts of its west face consist of crags and scree. The north and eastern part of the mountain contain a number of remote corries. Two ridges run north-east from the summit with one curving north-west to enclose a high corrie. A third ridge runs west to Creag an Taghain, a crag above the forest of Coille Mhialairigh.

Southeast from the summit, over Loch Hourn to Knoydart

The view from the summit encompasses: the isles of Jura, Rùm and Mull; the mountains of Knoydart, Skye and Moidart; Ben Nevis and Slioch; and the ridges of Glen Affric and Glen Shiel. It is possible to see more than 100 named peaks from the summit and Hamish Brown said that he would not swap the view from it "for any mountain view in the world".

The rock of Beinn Sgritheall is of the schistose type.

Ascent

Beinn Sgritheall is commonly climbed from the village of Arnisdale on the shores of Loch Hourn. An alternative is to approach by way of Gleann Beag to the north, with its well-known brochs. Both starting points can only be accessed either overland by way of a single lane road from Glen Shiel, or across the waters of Loch Hourn using a ferry or boat.

It is possible to complete a number of traverses. One example approaches from the south-west side of the mountain, gaining the west ridge via the forest of Coille Mhialairigh. The summit is reached and the traverse then continues along the south-east ridge which leads to the Bealach Arnasdail pass from where it is possible to descend to the Loch approximately 5 miles from the start point.

References

• The Munros, Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 1986, Donald Bennett (Editor) ISBN 0-907521-13-4
• In the Hills of Breadalbane, V.A. Firsoff, no ISBN
• The Munros, Scotland's Highest Mountains, Cameron McNeish, ISBN 1-84204-082-0
• The Magic Of The Munros, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0-7153-2168-4
• Hamish's Mountain Walk, Hamish Brown, ISBN 1-898573-08-5