Beinn a' Bhuiridh

Out of all my hikes so far around Scotland's magnificent highlands, I doubt the hike up to Beinn a' Bhuiridh has been trod too many times.

Firstly, it's not a munro, it's a corbett standing at 897m. And secondly there no path to take you to the summit. (apart from a small lane at the beginning of the trail) It is probably walked as part of The Ben Cruachan horseshow route more than just a solitary hike.

The highlight of doing this walk are the absolutely splendid views looking down upon Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle as you ascend to your left side. They are pretty special by the time you're half way up the mountain, especially if you're lucky and the sun cast across the valley.

During my last Scotland road trip in autumn 2020 was keen to hike a few new routes away from the well-known popular mountains. I wanted to do a trip to Oban and had seen some nice photos of Kilchurn Castle so planned to stop en-route. I also noticed Beinn a' Bhuiridh being located directly north and considered what views you could get from the mountain, hence the main adventure motivation and for hiking this mountain!

Beinn a' Bhuiridh is an optional part of a bigger horseshoe mountain range which is linked to Ben Cruachan which stands at 1126m. You get great views of these peaks during your ascent as well as all of the surrounding Scottish landscape. The ascent and descent is tough going. Its thick grass all the way which is slow going and the lower areas can be fairy boggy in places. However, navigation is fairly simple as you stick to the wide ridge of the mountain all the way up.

During my hike I had all seasons of weather, glorious sunshine, heavy rain, wind gusts, rainbows and then back to calm sunshine. If you like your isolated mountain hikes then this is great for it, not a single person was seen all afternoon.

The start point is a country lane (B8077) just off the main road past the castle carpark. Theres plenty of room to park along the verge . From here you take a farmer track north west for about a mile. Once you pass a small quarry on your left its time to leave the path and head immediately southwards up the mountain and gradually turning west as you ascend.

If you fancy a unique adventure and you're in the area of Oban then this is definitely an interesting day out. It was certainly one of my favourites during my road trip as it truly felt like a wilderness walk into the Scottish Highlands and that for me is what Scottish highland walking should be about.

If you're interested in walking this route, feel free to message for more information.

GPX route also available.