Leaning over the island-strewn waters of twinkling Loch Maree is Britain’s oldest National Nature Reserve, a sweep of glacier-carved mountains three million years in the making. Explore this stunning landscape on the 4-mile-long Mountain Trail.

By Vivienne Crow

Published: Friday, 03 February 2023 at 12:00 am

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It’s not every day you get to climb a nature trail through ancient forest and on bare rock to enter an exposed, windswept lunar-like landscape of ice-scraped quartzite slabs. It’s not every day you get to walk in the company of golden eagles, sea eagles, red deer and, if you’re very lucky, pine martens and rare Scottish wildcats. But then, it’s not every day you get to visit Torridon’s Beinn Eighe, Britain’s oldest and one of its highest National Nature Reserves.

This is a land of superlatives, as hikers discover on the ‘Mountain Trail’ that climbs to 560m on its north-eastern flanks – the country’s only waymarked mountain walk.

Looking for more trails nearby? Check out our guide to Scotland’s best walks.

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Beinn Eighe trail

4 miles/6.5km | 563m accent | 3.5 hours | moderate

1. Grey Slope

Walk through the underpass from the Coille na Glas-Leitire car park beside Loch Maree on the A832. Keep left, ignoring the bridge.

The path begins climbing through the ‘Wood of the Grey Slope’. The Scots pines that dominate – one of Britain’s three native conifers – have existed here for eight millennia. That seems like a long time until you break free from the trees and are confronted by the giants of Torridon. The base of these mountains is made up of Lewisian gneiss which, at three billion years old, is among the oldest rock on Earth.

2. Trumpet Rock

After a steep climb, watch for a sharp left bend at the ‘Trumpet Rock’. Although the trail is well constructed – with steps carved out of the bare rock – you need to keep your eyes peeled for the waymarker cairns amid all the shattered boulders.

A second left bend higher up is easy to miss. You’re now entering a zone on the mountain that hosts ground-hugging species usually confined to Arctic tundra; plants such as dwarf willow, bearberry and alpine clubmoss.

3. Conservation Cairn

When you reach the ‘Conservation Cairn’, the trail’s highest point, there’s a sense of being totally immersed in the mountains. Dazzling quartzite-crowned summits loom magisterially and scree-covered ridges reach out to the distant sea.

The trail continues past sparkling lochans and begins descending with views across Loch Maree to the distinctive peak of Slioch. Named cairns continue to lead the way, each with a story to tell, including the ‘Ice Age’ cairn where a passing glacier has scratched its mark into the quartzite.

4. Loch Maree

Back in the pine and birch woods, go left at a path junction. The call of the cuckoos and warblers can be heard in spring, while primroses and bluebells return colour to the woodland floor.

Keep left on nearing the road, crossing the bridge seen at the start to re-enter the car park via the underpass. The glorious lochside location makes a great spot for a picnic. Toilets can be found 1/7 miles south-east, at the visitor centre (April-October) near Kinlochewe.

Discover more great mountains

From Snowdon in Wales and Ben Nevis in Scotland to the towering heights of the Lake District Fells, here is our guide to the UK’s most amazing mountains, including a brief look at the history of British mountain climbing, facts and the best peaks to climb

• British mountain guide: facts, definitions and the best peaks to climb

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Beinn Eighe map

Beinn Eighe Mountain Trail route and map

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