Beinn Dorain trail head by Bridge of Orchy Hotel.
Route from a little above saddle at 744m to Beinn Dorain.
| Beinn Dorain & Beinn an
Dothaidh from Bridge of Orchy Beinn Dorain Beinn an Dothaidh |
| Estimated net time | 5-6 hours | ||
| Difficulty | The whole route is in general easy, but be aware of some wet sections. | ||
| Drinking water | There are drinking water in the lower end of the hike, but nothing above this. | ||
| GSM coverage | Coverage throughout the route (May 2015). | ||
| Parking | Room for many cars at trail head car park. | ||
| Start height | 165 metres | ||
| Vertical metres | 1260 metres for the roundtrip. | ||
| Trip distance | 14.4 km | ||
| GPS-file | X | ||
| Map |
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| Route photo |
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From Crianlarich drive road A82 8.0 km (5.0 mi) to 200 metres west of Tyndrum (i.e. past Tyndrum). Bear right and continue 10.4 km (6.5 mi) on road A82, to the large car park by Bridge of Orchy Hotel, on the left hand side of the road. Finding space for your car shouldn't be an issue.
Head up where signed for Bridge of Orchy railway station and head under the tunnel leading uphill towards the saddle between Beinn an Dothaidh and Beinn Dorain. The upper couple of hundred metres is a little steep but nothing worth worrying about. Turn right when you get to the saddle and continue on the path towards Beinn Dorain. You can either walk past the summit on the path in Beinn Dorain's west slopes or you can stay on the ridge when the path splits at 995m. For variation you might want to ascend via the path a little below the summit ridge and come back along the summit ridge. Note that the summit is the last of the candidates along the summit ridge, and not the first "summit" cairn.
From Beinn Dorain walk directly back towards the saddle at 744m and continue up on the other side, towards Beinn an Dothaidh. The path is a little vague in places when you get higher up, but there's nothing to be concerned about. You might want to visit either of the lower tops first, but probably you just want to head for the summit. After you've been to the summit turn around and aim for the pass at 744m, and then back down to the car by Bridge of Orchy.
Erling, Håvard and I were having our final hike in Scotland this summer. We decided to head up to Bridge of Orchy in order to hike Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh, two pretty straight forward hikes, on a nice Whit Monday.
The walk up to the bealach at 744m was relatively uneventful, but there are some sections which might be categorised by some hikers as "needing concentration". Most likely they will keep walking around in their own garden. From the bealach turn right and follow the relatively well defined path along the ridge. When the path splits at 995m you can continue along the right leg, skirt around the summit (some 30+m below it) and come back up from south. This is definitely the best option if you're not properly equipped to be sure where the exact summit is since it will take you straight to the summit.
From Beinn Dorain continue north and head back down to the path junction at 995m and continue all the way down to the bealach at 744m, making sure you absorb as much as possible of the nice views. Continue across the bealach and head uphill into gradually wetter territory (at least while still snow above), and aim for whatever of the three tops you want to visit first. The actual summit of Beinn an Dothaidh is the central top, but all three tops can easily be rounded up in a quick little run. It's a again well worth enjoying what views you might have, before you head back down to the bealach and then turn right in order to take on the slightly boring walk back down to Bridge of Orchy. Back at Bridge of Orchy I would recommend a pint of beer (or some other refreshment) before hitting the road, or you might want to stay a night at the hotel.