Beinn Fhada

Beinn Fhada, at 1,032 metres — Gaelic for "long mountain," also known as Ben Attow — is a mountain of great bulk in Kintail. Whilst it may lack the graceful ridges found elsewhere in the area, an ascent reveals real character and complexity, with magnificent northern corries and the Plaide Mhòr, the largest surviving extent of ancient pre-glacial land surface in the western Highlands.

The route starts from the National Trust for Scotland car park at Morvich, following the road and a signposted path up Gleann Choinneachain. A stalkers' path gives a fairly straightforward route into Coire an Sgairne, zig-zagging up to the upper corrie before swinging left to reach the broad Sgùrr an Doire Leathain ridge. Leaving the stalkers' path near a small cairn, the route climbs close to the plateau edge — navigation can be genuinely difficult here in mist given the sweeping, largely featureless terrain — before reaching the cylindrical trig point marking the summit, with fine views of Loch a' Bhealaich.

The easiest descent simply reverses the ascent route. A more challenging and rewarding circular option descends via the Sgùrr a' Choire Ghairbh ridge, crossing the wide Plaide Mhòr plateau to Meall an Fhuarain Mhòir before a final arête and a steep descent to the Bealach an t-Sealgaire (Hunter's Pass) — the ascent up the far side involves a short, awkward Grade 1 scramble up a grassy tongue and slabby rock, more straightforward to tackle in this direction than in reverse, and best avoided entirely in wet conditions.

The out-and-back route from Morvich is around 14 kilometres with roughly 1,100 metres of ascent, typically five to seven hours; the full circular route via Sgùrr a' Choire Ghairbh extends this considerably, often to eight hours or more.

The plateau crossing demands genuine navigation confidence in poor visibility, and the alternative descent ridge includes real scrambling that should be avoided in wet conditions in favour of retracing the ascent route — full hillwalking skills are essential regardless of which option is chosen.

Parking at Morvich is free for National Trust for Scotland members; there is limited public transport to the area.