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Weekend wonder - Ladhar Bheinn, Knoydart
A summary of the Munro Ladhar Bheinn in Knoydart, published as a ‘Weekend Wonder’ feature in Adventure Travel magazine.
Scrambling the south-east ridge of Ladhar Bheinn, with Coire Dhorrcail on the right
Ladhar Bheinn is one of my favourite Scottish mountains – partly because it is only accessible by boat or by foot. Getting there usually involves travelling 9km by boat from Mallaig to the small settlement of Inverie (popularly known as the home of Scotland's most remote mainland pub) or hiking around 13km of rough terrain from Kinloch Hourn, itself accessed via 35km drive along a single-track road.
I've climbed Ladhar Bheinn three times. I’m not a person of the mind that once a hill is climbed it's ticked off. Some hills deserve repeat ascents and I like to approach them from different sides and take time to explore the mountain. My first ascent of Ladhar Bheinn was from Inverie. We'd headed for Mam Barrisdale before breaking off up steep, fern-covered slopes onto the curious feature split ridge of Aonach Sgoilte. My second was during a four-day backpack of all the Munros in Knoydart, when we reached Aonach Sgoilte after first climbing two nearby Corbetts, Beinn na Caillich and Sgurr Coire Choinnichean. Both visits were in excellent weather and we savoured the warmth of the sun and some great views as we scrambled up the north-west ridge of Ladhar Bheinn to its summit.
My last visit to Ladhar Bheinn was in 2017 (Edit - I’ve been back twice since). Clad in waterproofs, hat and gloves to combat the cold Spring weather, we hiked the classic route up the mountain, a route which navigates the horseshoe-shaped rim of Coire Dhorrcail. The headwall of this great mountain corrie is ringed with crags and enclosed by two great, narrow, steep-sided ridges, Stob a' Chearcaill and Stob a’ Choire Odhair. Although the Knoydart peninsula is known as the 'rough bounds' for the wild nature of its terrain, the ground isn't too challenging and we gained height quickly ."What an awesome location", I recall saying as we crested the corrie headwall and broke out onto Ladhar Bheinn's north-west ridge.
Ladhar Bheinn's summit flanks provide a fantastic viewpoint. As well as the views over Loch Hourn, you can see south-east to the neighbouring Munros, Luinne Bheinn and Meall Bhuide, and west out over the Corbett of Sgurr Coire Choinnichean towards Mallaig. Ladhar Bheinn's rocky north-west ridge is also great fun, with a few Grade 1 scrambling opportunities but nothing overly technical or exposed. There's also the opportunity stand on an obvious prow of rock halfway up that overhangs a drop of several hundred feet and has great views down Loch Hourn. It's quite a special place.
Getting there
Take the train, bus or drive from Fort William to Mallaig. A ferry at the port (www.calmac.co.uk and others) will sail you across the lower Sound of Sleat to Inverie. Alternatively, drive the A82 from Fort William and head for Invergarry. Turn onto the A87 and, not long after, follow the singletrack road west past Loch Garry and Loch Quoich to reach Kinloch Hourn.
Where to stay
Outside the comforts of Inverie (where you'll find B&Bs, a hotel and bunkhouse plus luxury self-catering accommodation), there are three overnight options for climbing Ladhar Bheinn. You can wild camp almost anywhere, courtesy of Scotland's refreshing outdoor access code, or stay in one of two private bothies nearby, Barisdale bothy or Druim bothy. Neither is maintained by the Mountain Bothy Association and both charge a fee for accommodation, with Druim requiring booking in advance.
More information: http://www.visitknoydart.co.uk
Map: OS 1:50,000 Landranger sheet 33 (Loch Alsh, Glen Shiel and Loch Hourn)
Paul Tattersall - Mountain running
A mountain running photo shoot with professional mountain guide and climber Paul Tattersall in Torridon, Scotland.
Paul Tattersall is a renowned climber, mountain guide and outdoor safety expert who lives just outside Gairloch in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. The first person I know to have completed a double traverse of the highly technical Black Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye, Paul has also ran all the Torridon Munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000ft / 914.4m high) in one day, plus, when he was younger, completed all 282 Munros whilst riding or carrying a mountain bike to each summit. This photo set is of Paul running on two of Scotland’s Munros, Beinn Eighe and Liathach in Torridon. You can find out more about Paul at www.gofurtherscotland.co.uk.
Warm water surfing - Tenerife
A selection of images of people surfing on the coastline of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands.
A selection of images from trips I've made to Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands in Spain, where I’ve had the opportunity to photograph the local surf activity.
Donnie Campbell - Gravel cycling
GBDuro winner Donnie Campbell cycling on the Loch Ness 360 gravel biking route near Inverness.
Donnie Campbell is a Scottish endurance athlete and coach who won the c.2000km GBDuro bikepacking stage race from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2023. Better known perhaps as a former Scotland 282 Munro Round record holder, Donnie is also an elite ultra-distance cyclist who holds, or has at one time held, the recorded fastest known time / FKT for An Turas Mor and the Badger Divide, two of Scotland's premier long-distance cycling adventures. He has also completed the 2170km French Divide race. We’re on location cycling on the Loch Ness 360 gravel bike route above Fort Augustus near Donnie's home town of Inverness.
Rachael Campbell - Trail running
A photo shoot with Scottish clinical research nurse Rachael Campbell running by the coastline on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Rachael Campbell is a clinical research nurse at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. A talented trail and ultra runner , she has run for Great Britain in the Trail World Championships plus, amongst other results, placed 5th in the Vibram Hong Kong 100km and was 10th female in the highly competitive Mont Blanc Marathon.
Naomi Freireich - Mountain biking
A portfolio of images of Scottish mountain bike endurance athlete Naomi Freireich.
Mountain bike endurance athlete Naomi Freireich has been UK 24-Hour Mountain Biking champion (2017, 2018 and 2019), European 24-Hour Mountain Biking champion (2018) and a Solo Female winner of the Strathpuffer 24-hour Winter Mountain Bike Endurance Event. More recently, she was a finisher of the challenging Highland Trail 550 (a mountain bike time trial in Scotland that, unsurprisingly, covers 550 miles). Originally a Gore-sponsored athlete, she’s now partnered with Albion.
Torridon
Grey Corries
Edinburgh
Joanne Thom - Trail running
A photo shoot with multi-sports athlete Joanne Thom in East Lothian, Scotland.
A photo shoot with Joanne Thom, a multi-sports athlete from the Scottish Borders who has competed at elite level in trail running, adventure racing and mountain biking. We’re on location at Belhaven Bay near Dunbar in East Lothian, Scotland.
