Bla Bheinn

Introduction

If it were anywhere else in Scotland this mountain would surely be one of the most talked about. If you take the road west from Broadford, heading for Elgol perhaps, then you meet this most appealing of ranges as it donimates the skyline ahead of you. As you draw nearer and drop towards the foreshore at Torrin the picture only improves as the loch provides a most exquisite foreground. It must be a view that says: 'Wow. Put that one on the list for later.'

Of course it is the proximity of the Cuillin range itself that prevents you from stopping, putting on the boots and starting up the hillside there and then. We were on our way to walk the coast-line to Loch Coruisk, a walk that even surpassed that of the Bla Bheinn ridge in terms of beauty. During the following week the more distant views of this mountain from virtually every angle were just as compelling. So, there it is. This one is marked down as a 'must' for later.

The guides list two routes: one by the South ridge from Camasunary, the other the shorter ascent from the shores of Loch Slapin via Coire Uaigneich. Both routes apparently give the walker every opportunity to avoid scrambling, although there is plenty to be had if you so choose.