Beinn a' Bheithir

Beinn a' Bheithir - Sgorr Dhearg
Argyllshire
Beinn a' Bheithir from Mam na Gualainn across Loch Leven
Summit:	3,360 feet NN056558 56°39’13"N, 5°10’22"W

Beinn a' Bheithir is a double mountain standing above Glencoe in the Highlands, to the south of Ballachulish. It is on the south side of Loch Leven and this in Argyllshire. It has two main peaks a mile and half apart, each over 3,000 feet and each of which is prominent enough to be accorded the status boasts of a "Munro" on its own.

The name 'Beinn a' Bheithir' (peɲ ə ˈvehəɾʲ) is Gaelic, and means "Mountain of the Thunderbolt".

Geography

The two Munro summits of Beinn a' Bheithir are:

• Sgorr Dhearg, the east peak, 3,360 feet, NN056558;
• Sgorr Dhonuill (or Sgurr Dhòmhnaill), 3,284 feet, NN040555.

The mountain forms a horseshoe shape, with ridges pointing north enclosing the corrie of Gleann a' Chaolais (Glenachulish). The lower slopes on this side are cloaked in conifer plantations. To the south the mountain forms a steep ridge forming the northern wall of Glen Duror, which is also forested.

There are several routes up Beinn a' Bheithir. One of the simplest is to head through the forestry up Gleann a' Chaolais, reaching the 2,484-foot-high bealach between the two summits. Both summits can be bagged from here, and the walker may descend by the route of ascent.

Other routes on include the north and north-west ridges of Sgorr Dhearg, or a steep ascent from Glen Duror.

Folk Tale

An old tale is told in about the Beinn Bheithir Dragon, which is framed in Gaelic as:

B’e ceud ainm an t-sleibhe laimh ris am bheil luchd-turuis do Ghleann Comhann air an cur air tir, Beinn Ghuilbin, ach a nis ‘s e theirear ris Beinn Bheithir…

They say that the mountain was first called Beinn Ghuilbin but long ago a dragon named Bheithir took shelter in Corrie Liath, a great hollow in the face of the mountain and almost right above Ballachulish Pier. This dragon was a terror to the surrounding district; from the lip of the corrie she overlooked the path round the foot of the mountain and, if the unsuspecting traveller attempted to pass by her, she would leap down and tear him to pieces.

No one dared attack her nor could anyone tell how she might be destroyed until Charles the Skipper, came the way. He anchored his vessel a good distance out from the site of the present pier and, between the vessel and the shore, formed a bridge of empty barrels lashed together with ropes and brisling with iron spikes. When the bridge was finished he kindled a large fire on board the vessel and placed pieces of flesh on the burning embers. As soon as the savour of burning flesh reached the corrie the dragon descended by a succession of leaps to the shore and thence tried to make her way out on the barrels to the vessel. But the spikes entered her body and tore her up so badly that she was nearly dead before she reached the outer edge of the bridge. Meantime the vessel was moved from the bridge until a wide interval was left between it and the last barrel. Over this interval the dragon had not sufficient strength left to leap to the deck of the vessel and, as she could not return the way she came, she died of her wounds where she was, at the end of the bridge.

However while the villages celebrated their newfound peace, the dragon's whelp was left behind in Corrie Liath. In course of time the whelp grew and gave birth to a brood of young dragons hidden away in a corn stack at the foot of the mountain. When the farmer discovered them in his stack he at once set fire to it hoping thus to destroy the dangerous vermin it contained. Their shrieking was, with the wind, borne up the mountain-side and, as soon as it reached their mother, down she rushed to their assistance. But she was long in reaching them and in spite of all her efforts they were burned to death. When she saw this she stretched herself on a flat rock near the shore and continued to lash the rock with her tail until she killed herself.

The rock is still known as the Dragon’s Rock, and on it Beinn Bheithir House now stands.