Beinn Dòrain and neighbours

If aiming to climb all five Munros in this group, the most convenient access is from Bridge of Orchy, 10km north of Tyndrum on the A82.

Parking at the railway station is intended for train users and hillwalkers are discouraged from leaving vehicles there.

Alternative parking is available in a large car park beside the Bridge of Orchy Hotel with space for around 30 cars, and further parking can be found on the western side of the River Orchy.

From the car park, the route begins by crossing the road and heading towards the railway station . An underpass leads beneath the line, followed by a short flight of steps and a gate. The track of the West Highland Way is crossed here, after which the path climbs past a phone mast.

The path aims towards the Allt Coire an Dòthaidh, then stays close to it, keeping above its southern bank while following the burn upstream. Often wet and muddy, the path can be icy in winter, making progress slippery.

Rough throughout, and boggy in parts, the path leads through Coire an Dòthaidh towards the bealach at 744m , marked by a cairn. From here the line turns south-west, a path climbing steadily uphill. (A shortcut can be made by leaving the main path around 100m below the bealach and cutting south across grassy slopes to rejoin the path higher up).

Now on Beinn Dòrain's northern shoulder, the gradient remains gentle and a clear path is followed throughout. After around 300m of ascent and 1.5km of distance, a large, well-built cairn is reached. Known as the “Sassenach’s Cairn”, it is often mistaken in mist for the summit, but the true top lies further on.

Continuing south from the cairn, the path dips briefly to a little ridge then climbs again to reach the main summit of Beinn Dòrain . The views from here are stunning in all directions, with the A82 appearing surprisingly close below.

From Beinn Dòrain’s summit, the route returns north over the narrow dip to the “Sassenach’s Cairn” on the hill’s north top. From here, the line continues eastwards along the broad ridge curving above Coire Chruitein.

Turning north-east, a delightful grassy expanse is crossed to the minor flat top of Meall Garbh . Beyond here the ground steepens, with occasional patches of boulder as the ridge drops down Meall Garbh’s north-eastern shoulder.

After a descent of around 300m, a more level area west of Meall Tionail is reached. From here the line trends north, descending thick grassy and occasionally damp slopes to meet the Allt Coire a’ Ghabhalach at around 500m.

Unless in spate, the burn should be crossed without difficulty, though if levels are challenging, a dam and track can be reached 100m lower down. Once across, damp grassy slopes are contoured to gain the track below Beinn a’ Chuirn .

The track is followed for a short distance to where it fords a burn. From this point, a direct line up Beinn a’ Chuirn is possible. As this is a Munro Top, keen “Top-baggers” may wish to include it, though the west-facing slopes are loose and steep.

For those not intent on summiting Beinn a’ Chuirn, the easier option is to continue northwards along the track to its end, then swing around on the grass-covered ground on the north side of the hill. Here, further on, a dilapidated fence line is met, which can be followed uphill to the bealach between Beinn a’ Chuirn and Beinn Mhanach.

From the bealach, easy grassy ground and a faint path lead directly eastwards to the summit of Beinn Mhanach .

From Beinn Mhanach’s summit, return to the bealach between it and Beinn a’ Chuirn, then pick up the fence line. Follow this north-west and downhill for around 400m until it turns west; leave it here and descend grassy ground on the fall-line to meet a burn , a tributary of the Allt Cailliche, at around 600m.

A direct ascent on Beinn a’ Chreachain is possible from here, though it requires losing more height and then facing a steep, continuous slog. A better option is to head north across easier grassy ground, crossing several more tributaries of the Allt Cailliche, then aim uphill towards Garbh Mheall, the southern arm of Meall Buidhe.

Approaching Meall Buidhe, a 'Munro Top' , a clear path is picked up that runs north-east along the crest before dropping to the grassy bealach below Beinn a’ Chreachain.

From the bealach the route enters bouldery terrain, climbing 100m onto the summit crest while curving around the rim of Coire Dubh Beag. The path is then followed south-east along the edge of the coire to reach Beinn a’ Chreachain’s cairned summit , an outstanding viewpoint over Rannoch Moor and far beyond.

From Beinn a’ Chreachain’s summit, retrace the route back to Meall Buidhe , then follow the path south-west over easy ground to drop to the rather boggy Bealach an Aoghlain below Beinn Achaladair. A dilapidated fence line is crossed here.

Beyond the bealach the path splits. The line branching right is the steeper of the two, generally an easy climb with occasional short scrambly steps. In icy or snow-covered conditions this can be quite challenging, in which case the left-hand option gives a slightly longer but more forgiving ascent.

The two paths merge higher up and lead onto Beinn Achaladair’s summit crest. Once the ground levels, the walk becomes straightforward towards the first of the summit cairns . There are three in total, each separated by around 200m, with the central one marking the true summit . It is worth noting that OS Landranger maps mark two of these cairns with spot heights (including the summit), while OS Explorer maps only mark the most northerly — this is not the highest point.

On one memorable occasion, Beinn Achaladair’s summit was reached to find a group sitting in the sunshine while one of them played a tune on a flute — an atmosphere as fine as the views.

From Beinn Achaladair’s summit crest, continue south-west past the last of the three cairns. The path descends gradually as the ridge curves south, dropping to a broad grassy bealach. Ahead, the ground begins to rise again, the path leading up to Beinn Achaladair’s southern top , its height of 1002m marked by a small cairn.

Beyond this top the path continues for a further kilometre, descending southwards before swinging south-west towards the next bealach . To the north of the bealach the ground falls into Coire Daingean, while steep slopes plunge southwards to the Allt Coire a’ Ghathalach.

Crossing the bealach, the path then climbs easily over grassy ground to reach the minor south top of Beinn an Dòthaidh . In winter the rim of the coire here can form heavy cornices, so care is required.

From this point the main summit of Beinn an Dòthaidh is only a few minutes further - the route dips slightly then rises again northwards, following a clear path to the flat, broad summit plateau where a cairn marks the highest point . Impressive cliffs drop steeply to the north, giving superb views across Rannoch Moor.

On a fine day it is well worth leaving Beinn an Dòthaidh’s main cairn to visit the hill’s western top for a final panorama. The views from here are among the best of the entire route, with an uninterrupted outlook over Loch Tulla towards the Black Mount and extending all the way to Ben Nevis.

A direct descent to the bealach above Coire an Dòthaidh can be made from this western top, though a more pleasant option is to retrace a little and drop on grassy slopes into Coire Reidh. Here a path gradually forms, trending south-west as the ground steepens, and leads back to the bealach between Beinn an Dòthaidh and Beinn Dòrain.

From the bealach, the outward route is retraced down Coire an Dòthaidh to return to Bridge of Orchy.

Tackling all five Munros above Bridge of Orchy in a single outing makes for a long and demanding day. The route can be split into shorter, more manageable chunks:

Beinn Dòrain & Beinn an Dòthaidh
From Bridge of Orchy the pair can be climbed together by first heading up Beinn Dòrain as described above, then retracing steps to the bealach and continuing up Beinn an Dòthaidh in reverse of section 7.

1400m/15km/6hr

Beinn Mhanach from Glen Kinglass
Around 5km south of Bridge of Orchy on the A82, a private road leads to Auch Farm, with limited roadside parking a few hundred metres back (see location and dashed line lower part of map).

On foot, the road is followed past the farm, beneath the railway viaduct and into Glen Kinglass, fording the Allt Kinglass several times (or keeping to the eastern bank if in spate) to the foot of Beinn a’ Chuirn. Beinn Mhanach can then be reached either by a steep grassy ascent of Beinn a’ Chuirn or by continuing to the head of the track and following the route described earlier.

In my experience this route feels less enjoyable than the others, with a long approach and little variety until height is gained.

1050m/19km/6:30hr

Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a’ Chreachain from Achallader Farm
Around 4km north of Bridge of Orchy, a track leaves the A82 at Achallader Farm. From here a fine approach leads up Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a’ Chreachain, with the option of including Beinn Mhanach.

see link below

Beinn Mhanach, Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a’ Chreachain from Loch Lyon
Perhaps the best of the shorter chunks is to approach these three Munros from the dam at Loch Lyon. A cycle along a good estate track leads to the foot of the hills, from where a superb horseshoe route climbs Beinn Mhanach, Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a’ Chreachain

see link below