Soaking up the sun on a quick Munro
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The Munro of Fionn Bheinn stands just to the north of Achnasheen, a lone Fannich, separated from its fellow hills in the range by Loch Fannich itself.
I’ve never heard anyone recommend the hill – any brief opinions have merely mentioned its dampness – but I felt it was overdue a visit as I’ve driven past its unassuming base countless times on the way west.
It was the dry and fine conditions that led me to finally park up in Achnasheen station car park. A helpful sign on the A832 pointed me across the road in the right direction and a short distance up a broad track I turned left through a gate, following the Allt Achadh na Sine north-westwards.
Lethargic sheep made mobile obstacles as I tried not to spook them – I would not want to endure the heat in that much extra insulation.
I passed through a gate and the path, initially faint, picked up definition as it climbed upwards. In the small gorge to my left the burn and overhanging trees emanated a slight coolness into the still, summer air, and soon the path levelled off, the trees finishing as the burn fell through a series of pools and waterfalls.
I stopped to look back across the River Bran and Strathconon Forest and was struck by the number of human tracks and lines across the hillsides – below me the railway and road made their way through the glen and on the hillside to my left a large track zigzagged up the hill.
Ahead of me lay a large, flat expanse of land, peppered with hags and small lochans. The high moor was made remarkable by the flanking west coast mountains now visible all around.
I started along a faint trod heading onto the ridgeline above and to my right. I can imagine that in “normal” conditions this would be quite hard going with peat bogs and hags to negotiate. But with the ground tinder-dry it made for easy and quick going and I was soon across and on the ascent of the hill.
Bar the building materials that indicated an upland hydro scheme would soon be in place, the human traces thinned out and nature’s marks took over. As I glanced down into a small bog to check my foot placement I saw my trainer touch down just beside a perfect mountain hare track.
The climb up started in earnest onto broad grassy slopes and I soon lost interest in following the path. The perfectly clear conditions meant I could head for the highest point on the skyline and push straight on upwards.
My mind wandered around the tracks I passed – deer prints traversing the hillside, more hare tracks, and the lonely boot prints of other hill goers.
A path appeared ahead and suddenly there was that imperceptible feeling you get when nearing the top – sure enough at the same time a corrie rim came into view, the summit trig point appeared to my left.
A final quick sprint to the top and then it was time to soak up the reward. Small patches of the deep winter snows clung to the steep top of the corrie. Beneath these the ground dropped away below to lead the eye towards Loch Fannich, where Fionn Bheinn’s neighbouring hills were reflected in the still waters.
A single crow swept slowly round the trig point, eyeing me on the way, a dark inconsistency in the green and brown hillside. I was suddenly reminded of a prophecy by the Brahan Seer: “The day will come when a raven, attired in plaid and bonnet, will drink his full of human blood on Fionn-bheinn, three times a day, for three successive days.”
Luckily there was not a bunnet in sight and I was not in any mood to have my blood consumed by carrion, so I drew myself away from the top and started along the ridge.
Great running along the corrie rim soon led me east to where I could look back up to the summit, now looking much more dramatic above the cliffs compared to the rounded approach from the south.
Continuing to follow the ridge east, the ground steepened but the fast running continued and I joined the line of an old stone wall, where dense clouds of daddy-longlegs tickled my face and skin.
My plan had been to continue along the wall until it met a track coming up from Loch Fannich and then follow this down to the A832 but the grassy slopes that headed down to meet the top of a track close to a plantation were too tempting.
Straight-lining down the hillside the rough ground remained on the happy side of just runnable and it was with a spring still in my step that I reached a stony track at a small hydro scheme dam.
This track led down towards the plantation and I could see from the map that it would then be a kilometre or so along the road back to Achnasheen.
As the hillside above had been so much fun, I opted to cut off the track and head back across the hill above the plantation.
Firm ground and substantial trods aided my traverse, the only pauses in my progress being those to allow sheep to move away at their own speed.
I soon hit the outward path at the field gate and it was then a short jog back down to the road.
Route details
Fionn Bhienn
Distance 7 miles / 11.5km
Terrain Rough hill paths and pathless ground. Good going in dry conditions, apparently very boggy in the wet!
Start/finish Achnasheen railway station
Maps OS Explorer 435; OS Landranger 20 and 25
A fine short hill day with great views of the north-west Highlands from this unassuming top
