Home » Guided adventures » Hill walking » Orchy
Above Orchy
Guided hillwalking days on the Munros above Bridge of Orchy
Driving north from Tyndrum, Beinn Dorain creates an impressive sight with its slopes sweeping directly up from above the West Highland Way to form a conical mountain.
Behind this domintating peak, there is an expanse of crests and hills awaiting curious boots !
The views from the high ground are dramatic, particularly northwards over Rannoch Moor towards Lochaber and Ben Nevis
At a glance
- Three days of winter hill-walking in the Southern Highlands.
- Hike along fine mountain crests above Rannoch Moor and Breadalbane.
- Enjoy the winter atmosphere with the safety of a guide, perhaps improving your winter skills.
- Reach superb vantage points from where vast views to Glencoe, Ben Nevis, Lawers and as far as the Cairngorms can be savoured.
- Bag 5 Munros in the area including mighty Beinn Dorain, Beinn a'Chreachain and lonely Beinn Mhanach.
- Join a small group led by an experienced winter qualified leader with a good knowledge of the area's wildlife, flora and geology.
Dates and booking
*Note, just the first two days on this event.
General info
Moderate hillwalking days.
This 3 day event is an extended weekend of guided hiking in the Southern Highlands with one of our experienced and qualified leaders.
Your guide will know the remote area well and be able to give you insight into the flora, fauna and geology.
Our maximum guide to client ratio on this event is 1:6.
You would be very welcome to join us for part of the trip, the cost of which is £69 per day.
Outline of event »
Day 1 : Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh
A rough hike up 2 Munros above Bridge of Orchy
| Summits : | Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh |
| Grading : | moderate day |
| Stats : | distance : 13km, ascent : 1275m, time : 6−8 hours |
Our first day begins from Bridge of Orchy aiming up the western peaks in the range, including mighty Beinn Dorain, the distinctive conical shaped mountain as seen from southern roadside approaches.
Given snow, this will be a fine day to practice winter hiking skills !
We'll start from Bridge of Orchy Station and head up a path into the coire between
Beinn Dorain and
Beinn an Dothaidh.
A cairn marks the highest point on the col between these Munros, from where we'll aim eastwards to Beinn Dorain with its cairns and impressive views.
Back to the col and there are various routes to choose from to head up Beinn Dothaidh and your guide will have his navigation skills tested if cloud comes in !
Map of intended route
Day 2 : Beinn a'Chreachain and Beinn Achaladair
Grassy slopes and some easy scrambling on a circular route over 2 Munros
| Summits : | Beinn a'Chreachain and Beinn Achaladair |
| Grading : | moderate day |
| Stats : | distance : 15km, ascent : 1300m, time : 6−8 hours |
Beinn a'Chreachain is the most easterly peak in this range. It's also the highest !
Once up, we turn west and walk in the direction of Beinn Achaladair keeping stunning views ahead as we hike along high mountain crests.
Our second day begins on a fine track heading eastwards from near Loch Tulla.
After a couple of miles, we'll head off track and uphill into a dark coire.
Up onto crests, we'll strike up
Beinn a'Chreachain, the highest mountain in the range.
An about-turn, we'll trace the hill crests and faint paths towards
Beinn Achaladair, possibly with an opportunity to get our ice-axes and crampons out for the clamber up its eastern side.
Onto the summit with its fine view northwards over Rannoch Moor, we'll then have options for making a return back to Loch Tulla.
Map of intended route
Day 3 : Beinn Mhanach
A hike on a fine path following the Allt Kinglass to reach this remote mountain
| Summits : | Beinn Mhanach |
| Grading : | moderate day |
| Stats : | distance : 21km, ascent : 1100m, time : 7−9 hours |
Our final day on the Orchy Mountains heading out to the most remote peak in the range has the least ascent of the three days.
We're on a fine track for most of the way in (and back), so although the distance is longer, it feels gentler !
We start from a few miles to the south of Bridge of Orchy where vast tree plantations have been recently cleared.
We're on a tarred road which crosses the West Highland Way, then aims under the impressive railway viaduct.
We then follow a track past hydro schemes to a high col, from where we hike over Beinn a'Chuirn and over to
Beinn Mhanach's summit.
Head slightly to the east where the view over Loch Lyon is beautiful.
At this time of year there's likely to be some snow covering - great for enhancing the beauty and detail of the surrounding peaks !
Map of intended route
Experience and fitness needed »
Moderate hillwalking days.
To join this guided event, we ask that you :
- have a good level of fitness and stamina
- have done some hillwalking
- are comfortable hiking for 7 hours plus
- had exposure to British mountain weather or similar
The days are usually classed as 'moderate', however with winter conditions the days will be more challenging and we would therefore grade them as 'demanding hill days'.
Have a look at
how we grade our events or
contact us for more information.
Gear you'll need »
You'll need your general hiking and hill-walking gear appropriate to the conditions and time of year.
More information on this gear along with a checklist to download and Pinterest board for specific suggestions can be found on our
Mountain Gear page.
Your guide »
|
Kevin Woods
MLS qualified, Kevin has a particular fondness for multi-day mountain trips in bothies, camping or in a 'bivvy'.
Leading the event on 27-29 October'19.
|
|
John King
MLS, MLW qualified and more, John is passionate about passing on his knowledge and sharing his enthusiasm for the hills !
Leading the event on 6-7 April'19.
|
More information on your guide can be found on our
About Us page.
Getting there »
Our first day starts from Bridge of Orchy which is on the A82, around 10km north of Tyndrum.
There are excellent public transport links (bus and train) to Bridge of Orchy.
The second and third day hikes start a few miles either side of Bridge of Orchy.
Around a month prior to an event taking place, we hope to set up a 'Whatsapp' chat group for the event. This will hopefully help participants find out where others are staying and organise car-share.
Please note that our expertise lies in offering you great guided days in Scotland's mountains and not in providing transport - ultimately it is up to participants to arrange this. Please see our
FAQs for more information.
Accommodation »
Below is a list of accommodation that previous guests on our trips have recommended.
Other accommodation can be found at
Visit Scotland.
Around a month prior to an event taking place, we hope to set up a 'Whatsapp' chat group for the event. This will hopefully help participants find out where others are staying and organise car-share.
Please note that our expertise lies in offering you great guided days in Scotland's mountains and not arranging your accommodation. Please see our
FAQs for more information.
Previous trips »
Below on our Blog or on Flickr are some previous trips similar to this one.
