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A pale path climbing the rounded, grassy dome of Beinn Dearg under heavy cloud.
Blair Atholl and Glen Tilt

Beinn Dearg

A Munro of 1,009 metres, number 124 of the 282.

Photograph by Marta Petelicka, via Google

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

This Beinn Dearg stands in the hills of Atholl, north of Blair Atholl in Perth and Kinross, and is not to be confused with the Beinn Dearg near Ullapool.

It is Atholl Estates ground. The estate says its hills hold six Munros and two Corbetts, and it joined the Cairngorms National Park in 2010. Carn a' Chlamain, the nearest Munro, is about six and a half kilometres to the east.

South-west of the summit, on the Allt Scheicheachan, the Mountain Bothies Association looks after a small bothy with an open fire, owned by Atholl Estate.

Atholl Estates' main route on Beinn Dearg is the path from Allt Scheicheachan to the summit.

The day's notice
Atholl Estates posts the day's stalking notice at about 8.15am at its Glen Tilt car park in Blair Atholl, where one of its map boards stands.
The bothy
Allt Scheicheachan, at grid reference NN 835 737, is a small bothy with an open fire, owned by Atholl Estate, and fuel is scarce. Bothies are for short stays only, and campfires and barbecues are banned in the National Park from 1 April to 30 September.
Stalking
In the stag season Atholl Estates asks hillwalkers to keep to its main routes, or to ring its Hillphone on 01796 481740, updated at 8am daily. Its access page gives the season as 1 August to 20 October, but other dates are printed elsewhere, so ask the estate. There is no stalking on Sundays.
Summit
Grid reference NN 852 778.
Car park
Atholl Estates' Glen Tilt car park, at Blair Atholl. Cars, campervans and caravans may not be left there overnight.
Rifle range
Atholl Estates closes the track through its Glen Tilt rifle range on days of long-range shooting, and routes in Glen Tilt through the range may be affected. Its list for 2026 ends with Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October: read it before choosing a way.
Toilets and food
Do not count on toilets at the car park. Blair Atholl has a railway station, and our nearest places to eat are in Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie.
On the hill today
−2° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 1,009 m. Feels like −6° in the wind.

North wind to 13 mph, gusting 27
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.51am to 6.09pm, ten hours

Sun 18Clear−1° to 3° on top · 7 mph, gusts 14
Mon 19Drizzle−4° to 5° on top · 15 mph, gusts 27
Tue 20Drizzle3° to 6° on top · 17 mph, gusts 29

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Southeastern Highlands forecast, Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Beinn Dearg, Scottish Avalanche Information Service.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 852 778
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from Beinn Dearg yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Carn a' Chlamain, Carn an Fhidhleir, An Sgarsoch, Beinn a' Ghlo - Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Atholl Estates' and the Mountain Bothies Association's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.