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WALK THREE

Foinaven

Start/Finish	Junction of the Srath Beag track and the scenic A838 Tongue–Durness road; parking space is limited (NC 393 539)
Distance	27km (17 miles)
Ascent	1600m
Time	11hrs
Terrain	Hard walking from start to finish, with a mix of rough paths and long stretches of pathless ground. With its angular rocks Foinaven itself is hard going, and there is some short-lived easy scrambling. The lower glens and passes tend to be boggy, while major river crossings in Srath Beag and Srath Dionard require care in wet weather.
Maps	OS Landranger (1:50,000) 9; OS Explorer (1:25,000) 445 covers most but not quite all the route
Transport	There is no public transport provision beyond the Lairg–Durness bus
By Bike	Bulldozed vehicle tracks up Srath Dionard and the Bealach Horn may be regrettable from the point of view of wild land conservation, but they do facilitate quick approaches to Foinaven by mountain bike. Srath Beag is not bike friendly, however.
Accommodation	Tongue YH (01847 611789); Durness YH (01971 511264)
Summits	Foinaven (‘wart mountain’); Ganu Mòr 911m (‘big head’)
Sleeping Out	Strabeg bothy (NC 392 518) is excellent, but too close to the road to be of much advantage as a base for Foinaven. A wild camp near Loch Dionard or on the Bealach Horn would seem more logical, although the ground is either hummocky or boggy, or both.
Seasonal Notes	Winter walkers would be unlikely to complete this entire route in daylight, but the first/last 4km could be done in the dark. Under snow Foinaven’s ridges offer challenging walking, nudging towards winter mountaineering.
Short Cuts	A linear out-and-back dash is the quickest way to bag Ganu Mòr, although it’s missing the point somewhat

Foinaven is a mysterious hill, a complex range-in-miniature (not that miniature) with an almost primeval feel. High point Ganu Mòr was long a borderline case for Munro status, but a recent survey has shaved a fraction from its erstwhile 914m altitude, sparing it from the list-ticking hordes. Secreted away in its eastern folds, the hill’s most impressive corners take effort to reach, and a full traverse of the mountain is a strenuous and memorable expedition. Geological decay is writ large everywhere, the shattered crests crumbling into vast, stark scree skirts. Add the long miles of approach, the serious emptiness and the occasional scrambly moment, and it’s clear that this is no ordinary hill walk. Of several possible angles of attack perhaps the best (and least popular?) is this route starting from sea level at Loch Eriboll. This has a satisfying aura of obscurity, leading through glens and passes walked by few.

Cranstackie (left) and Foinaven from the Kyle of Durness

Approach 7km

Head S into Srath Beag on a farm track running below rambling crags. This soon dwindles to a boggy path leading to Strabeg, a spacious bothy in a scenic setting. Continuing up-glen the going gets tougher, and the path is sketchy in places as it weaves through woods and giant boulders at the foot of the cliffs of Creag Shomhairle, an under-appreciated climbing venue. About 1.5km beyond the bothy cross the river at a gravelly shallows (may prove interesting in spate) and head W across the glen-floor marsh to pick up a path along the foot of the far slope. At a sheep fank (stone-walled enclosure) turn diagonally uphill, climbing the now-faint trail onto rocky Bealach na h-Imrich, where an inspiring view of Foinaven’s complex eastern side is revealed.

From a cairn overlooking Srath Dionard descend rough pathless slopes W into the glen, with the huge wall of Creag Urbhard ahead to spur you on. Ford the major river at some braided shallows just north of Loch Dionard (in wet weather a safe crossing might require a detour south of the loch).

Approaching Stob Cadha na Beucaich from Lord Reay’s Seat

On the hill 10km

Cross the 4WD track (its construction here was controversial), then strike NW up a long, grassy pathless incline passing below the formidable prow of A’ Ch’eir Ghorm. The ascent leads to a broad saddle between Cnoc Dùail and Ganu Mòr. Follow the corrie rim leftwards, climbing rocky ground above the crags. As it ascends, the slope narrows into a steep scree-covered spur which cuts SW onto the top of Ganu Mòr. The first cairn reached is the official high point – note that the previously estimated height of 914m has been revised down to 911m.

Keep going W along the summit ridge to a second cairn and turn left, descending the mountain’s south ridge to pass over a mini-peak and a slight saddle before climbing onto an unnamed 869m summit. Here it is possible to detour along the narrow scrambly crest of A’ Ch’eir Ghorm, a scree-draped offshoot from the main ridge, although it is a dead end and involves extra effort.

Below Creag Urbhard, one of the great crags of the far north

Srath Coille na Fearna from Creag Shomhairle

From point 869m continue SE along the main ridge to the rugged minor peak of Lord Reay’s Seat (spot height 816m on 1:25,000 maps; not named on any map) overlooking the deep notch of Cadha na Beucaich. Leave the crumbling crest here, descending steep unstable scree on its right flank to reach the pass. The next summit is Stob Cadha na Beucaich (unnamed spot height 808m on OS maps), a strenuous rocky climb with some simple scrambling. From the summit head roughly E down gentle stony slopes, which soon become grassy underfoot. Either pass over the next easy-angled summit (An t-Sàil Mhòr according to the maps) or skirt just right of it, then descend a long boggy slope roughly S into a bowl just east of the Bealach Horn.

Return 10km

Where there was once a simple stalker’s path a vehicle track has recently been scored into the hillside – an ugly mess. The worst scars will gradually heal, but the mere fact of its existence compromises the wild character of these hills. Vehicles can now go to places they have never before been able to. The proliferation of new tracks in remote landscapes is an indictment of the conservation credentials of sporting estates.

Turn left onto this track, which leads down among impressive crags into Srath Dionard. About 1.5km shy of the loch peel off NNE, fording the river and climbing over a hummocky slope. Cross yet another vehicle track and continue onto the Bealach a’ Chonnaidh, a pass immediately adjacent to the one that you crossed at the beginning of the day. Descend the far side carefully, looping right to skirt a crag, to reach the flood plain beneath Creag Shomhairle. From the sheep fank retrace your steps to the road.