A craggy Corbett with a big feel, Beinn an Lochain stands alone. Dominating the pass of Rest and be Thankful, its steep east flank looms a full 600 metres above the road. Following the top of this huge rambling face, before skirting around the mountain's sheer northern cliffs, the Northeast Ridge provides a dramatic route of ascent. Steep and exposed in places, the ridge nearly counts as scrambling in summer, while in winter conditions it becomes borderline mountaineering. As a short day with maximum impact, this one is hard to beat.
Fetching Map
Height Profile
metres / Distance
miles
Detailed description
1
NN2342108859 Heading northwest on a faint path, cross the burn and then a boggy area before trending up and right to skirt around crags at the foot of the Northeast Ridge. Above the edge of a forestry plantation, the path cuts hard left, climbing steeply onto the broad lower section of the ridge.
2
NN2317109091 Now clearer, the path takes the obvious line up the ridge. There's the occasional steepening and a few scattered rocky outcrops, but no difficulty, and the flat minor top at point 637m is soon reached. Above this broad shoulder, the ridge steepens into a craggy nose, which looks quite intimidating.
3
NN2243708663 Follow the easy ground to the foot of the steep section. Start straight up, heading towards the foot of broken crags. Instead of trying to take these direct (in winter conditions it would be a climb) the path now cuts right to make a rising traverse across a moderately steep slope, with crags both above and below. In snow or ice the potential runout is very nasty, and care is needed. Having outflanked the steeper ground, the ridge is soon regained above the crags. Turn left to reach a point overlooking Loch Restil.
4
NN2216808468 Looking mighty impressive, the rocky summit cone of Beinn an Lochain now dominates the view ahead. Follow the broad, easy ridge to the base of this steepening. The path now skirts left of the crags, making a fairly steep ascent before regaining the final narrow crest, which is followed in a fantastic airy position to the top of the hill. There are two separate little summits, and it's worth climbing both (I'm not actually clear which is higher).
5
NN2185807975 To descend it's possible to continue south to the lower south top, before making a beeline east down a slope of grass and scattered outcrops leading to Rest and be Thankful. However the Northeast Ridge is by far the best feature of the hill, so this is one of those rare occasions when the best descent is back the way you came. In winter conditions, this descent does need some care.
This has been viewed 3,515 times
Download
OS maps and some other mapping apps don't allow waypointsStatistics
Difficulty: ModerateDistance: 2.92 miles (4.70 km)
Total ascent: 644m
Time: 3:30 – 4:30 hours (Walking)
Voting:
from 1 votes
Login as Existing User
to rate this walk.
to rate this walk.
Additional Information
Start/Finish:Layby on the A83, about 750m NE of Loch Restil, NN233088
Nearest town:
Inveraray
Terrain:
It's a clear path all the way, with no route finding issues. The ridge is steep in places, and rocky in others, and though scrambling is limited there is some modest exposure. The most logical and enjoyable way down is to reverse the ascent.
Seasonal variations:
In winter conditions the half-height steepening counts as the crux of the route, with a traverse across a snow slope above a serious runout. The final narrow arete also calls for competence. This route is best recommended to more experienced winter hillwalkers.
Weather and Hill Conditions: mwis: West Highlands – Met Office: West Highlands
Public transport:
Buses passing through Arrochar stop at Rest and be Thankful
Guidebooks:
The Corbetts, SMC
Maps:
OS Explorer 363 (1:25,000), OS Explorer 364 (1:25,000), OS Landranger 56 (1:50,000), OS Landranger 50 (1:50,000) Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route Tourist info:
Ardgartan (08707 200 606); Tarbet (Loch Lomond) (08707 200 623); Inveraray (08452 255 121)
Further Routes
by Dan Bailey UKH
- Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh 5 Feb
- East Ridge of Beinn a' Chaorainn and Beinn Teallach 21 Jan
- A' Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire 4 Dec, 2023
- Meall na Teanga & Sron a' Choire Ghairbh - The Loch Lochy Munros 6 Nov, 2023
- Bynack More 19 Oct, 2023