A day out on Beinn a Chrulaiste at the south entrance to Glencoe
Sometimes it's worth stepping away from the best-known spots in an area to get a rare glimpse of the landscape from a different place. On a recent visit to Glencoe, I climbed a little-known mountain just to the south of the Devil's Staircase, the infamous route along which workers used to carry materials to build the Blackwater Dam and now part of the iconic West Highland Way. It Beinn a Chrulaiste sits just across the A82 from the mighty Buachaille, perhaps the most photographed mountain in Scotland.
Beinn A Chrulaiste sits quietly among her more famous relatives like the proverbial middle child. Make no mistake, however, she holds a beauty of her very own well worth the walk for those who wish to make the journey.
To reach Beinn a Chrulaiste from its north side, you should park at the foot of the Devil's Staircase and start walking south along the West Highland Way towards the Kingshouse Hotel. After a few hundred meters, the mountain is accessed via a metal gate where a feint path takes you up along a fence line.
Setting out from the car park at the foot of the Devil's Staircase, the route to the summit of Beinn a Chrulaiste offers a steep challenging ascent with some basic scrambling near the top. A head for heights is also advisable as the route traverses very close to the steep edge of the mountain which appears to drop 1,000ft straight down onto the A82. By the time you level out on the more gently rising and wild plateau on which her summit sits, you will have already enjoyed spectacular terrain and beautiful views yet even now, there's still more in store.
A constant companion on this ascent is the famous Buachaille sitting just across the Glen. Lower down you get great views of the 'Tourist Route' up the Buachaille which follows close to the deep rocky gully called Coire Na Tulaich. As you progress along towards the summit of Beinn a Chrulaiste however, the breathtaking and massive rockface of the Rannoch Wall and the Curved Ridge come into view. Only the bravest and most experienced climbers ascend the Buachaille via the Curved Ridge which is an airy scramble for most of the way.
By this height, you will be looking down on the Devil's Staircase as it winds its way up from the foot of Glencoe. The summit of Bein a Chrulaiste sits at 857m (2,854ft) meaning that she is not classed as a Munro (3,000ft) but the views all around are amazing.
You can see the full length of Glencoe all the way to the village and the sea beyond. Looking north you can also see Ben Nevis (Scotland's largest mountain and the highest point in the UK). To the south, the vast expanse of the Rannoch Moor stretches endlessly into the distance. I've been to Glencoe a dozen times and climbed several of the mountains flanking her steep sides yet rarely have I seen such amazing views as these.
The sheer jaw-dropping, spectacular, raw beauty of Glencoe alone makes it well worth the visit. There are many other attractions and reasons to come here, however.
Historically, this is where the Clan MacDonald were famously massacred by the Campbells in the winter of 1692. Hidden among the mountains about 1,000ft above the foot of the glen is the Lost Vally. It is said that Highlanders used to hide rustled cattle here. The mountains around Glencoe are also steeped in the history of British Mountaineering. You can find out all about this history at the Glencoe Visitor Centre in Glencoe Village.
For those who like Skiing, Snowboarding, and Mountain Biking the Glencoe Ski Centre on the slopes of Meall a Bhuiridh is definitely worth a visit. For the long-distance walker, as mentioned previously, the West Highland Way winds through Glencoe from the Kingshouse Hotel and over the Devils Staircase towards Kinlochleven. You are also likely to see a herd of wild deer along this route.
Whether it's beauty, history, nature, or a mix of all of these, Glencoe is a must-visit for anyone visiting Scotland.