Beinn Sgritheall

Beinn Sgritheall
Beinn Sgritheall seen from the Sleat peninsula, Skye
Highest point
Elevation	974 m (3,196 ft)
Prominence	500 m (1,600 ft)
Parent peak	Sgurr a' Mhaoraich
Listing	Munro, Marilyn
Naming
Translation	scree hill (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	Scottish Gaelic: [ˈpeɲ ˈs̪kɾʲihəlˠ̪] English approx: ben skree-huhl
Geography
Location	Knoydart, Scotland
OS grid	NG836126
Topo map	OS Landranger 33

Beinn Sgritheall (or Beinn Sgriol) is the highest mountain in the Glenelg area of the Highlands of Scotland. The main approach is via Arnisdale on the shores of Loch Hourn or via Gleann Beag to the north, with its well-known brochs. The view from the summit was described by Sir Hugh Munro, a founder member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, as "perhaps the most beautiful I have seen in Scotland".

Mountains in the British Isles are classified according to height. At 3,196 feet (974 m) Beinn Sgritheall is a Munro, being a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet (914 m). It is also classified as a Marilyn given its prominence of 500 metres (1,640 ft). It is the highest mountain on the Glenelg peninsula, an area of largely uninhabited land bounded by Loch Alsh and Loch Duich to the north and by Loch Hourn to the west and south.

Beinn Sgritheall consists of a narrow, curved crest running parallel to the north shore of Loch Hourn from which several ridges extend. The south face of the mountain rises nearly 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), from the level of Loch Hourn to its summit, in 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi). It has three tops: the summit (974 metres (3,196 ft)), a Middle Top (also 974 metres) and an East Top (906 metres (2,972 ft)). The upper parts of its west face consist of crags and scree. The north and eastern part of the mountain contain a number of remote corries. Two ridges run north-east from the summit with one curving north-west to enclose a high corrie. A third ridge runs west to Creag an Taghain, a above the forest of Coille Mhialairigh.

The view from the summit encompasses: the isles of Jura, Rùm and Mull; the mountains of Knoydart, Skye and Moidart; Ben Nevis and Slioch; and the ridges of Glen Affric and Glen Shiel. It is possible to see more than 100 named peaks from the summit and Hamish Brown would not swap the view from it "for any mountain view in the world".