Mood-boosting walk of Beinn Mheadhoin (Strathconon)

I awoke one Saturday recently feeling a wee bit glum. This is unusual for me but I knew it probably had a lot to do with the constant poor weather and no big plan for the weekend. I also knew the best idea was to get outdoors and, even better, to go for a walk or run with a friend.

Claire immediately agreed that a walk on a day of dreary weather would improve our spirits and I suggested a new-to-both-of-us hill in Strathconon (about an hour from Inverness).

I picked the Fiona, Beinn Mheadhoin (Strathconon) because I’d read that there was a decent path most of the way to the top and I prefer not to subject my friends who are not bagging Fionas and Corbetts to too much off-trod tramping.

The drive to the start of the walk at Meall na Faochaig took us quickly into a picturesque glen. It always surprises me when driving along the long road, just how many people live in the glen and, some, quite remotely.

As we drove the single-track tarmac road, Claire and I chatted and it was great to enjoy her up-beat companionship. My mood started to lift and I looked forward to a walk in a new location.

There are several Corbetts that I have walked in Strathconon, such as Meallan nan Uan and Sgurr a’ Mhuilinn, and I was reminded of them as we drove past. In fact, the route on the Corbett Bac an Eich starts in the same place as the Fiona.

Walk of the Fiona, Beinn Mheadhoin (Strathconon)

The parking is quite limited at Inverchoran with a few spaces at the start of the driveway to a farm. Make sure you park clear of the road and allow for vehicles to pass on the track.

We walked this track towards the farm. The last time I was here, our group was chased by a horse. This time, the horses were safely in fields behind an electric fence.

Signposts send you over a bridge across a river, before you need to ford a tributary of the river on rock stepping stones. The start of the route is uphill and alongside the river heading south.

The track is wide and easy to follow, so we walked and talked until we reach another ford at a stream. This time, there were fewer stepping stones but it was simple enough to move a couple of rocks to form a way across.

The path then began to climb, zig-zagging more steeply uphill. We checked the map at a few track junctions and then, after walking about 4km and reaching a height of around 400m, we headed south-westerly on to rougher terrain.

We were fortunate to be able to see a trod for most of the route to the summit, although it did come and go in places. There were a few cairn “markers” to point the way, too. The ground was much less wet and boggy than I had expected and the weather stayed fairly dry.

The summit arrived surprisingly quickly and we enjoyed some nice views although the higher peaks were shrouded in cloud. On the clearer day you would expect to see numerous Munros, such as

Fionn Bheinn, Sgùrr Mòr, Lurg Mhòr, Maoile Lunndaidh, Beinn Eighe and Corbetts of Strathconon, as well as Bac an Eich and Meall a’ Ghiubhais.

The return route of Beinn Mheadhoin (Strathconon)

My mood had most definitely improved and as Claire and I set off to retrace our steps back downhill I knew I’d made the best decision to get outdoors and walk, even if it wasn’t a long or particularly scenic route due to the cloud cover.