Blà Bheinn from Loch Slapin

Blà Bheinn, “the Blue Mountain”, is the only Munro on the Isle of Skye that is not part of the main Cuillin Ridge, Walkhighlands notes, despite carrying “all the character of the main Cuillin Ridge” from its isolated stand above Loch Slapin. The mountain rises within the Strathaird Estate, owned and managed since 1994 by the John Muir Trust, the conservation charity that also maintains the ascent path, and Walkhighlands’ deer stalking notice records no stalking issues on this ground. Portree is the nearest hub rather than a close one: isleofskye.com’s own travel distance table puts Torrin, the village nearest the start, at 27 miles from Portree, most of it on Skye’s single-track roads.

From the car park off the B8083, the route crosses the Allt na Dunaiche and climbs on an excellent path through two gates above a steep wooded gorge, the first stretch level enough to feel like moorland walking rather than a Cuillin ascent. Beyond a second stream crossing the path steepens into Coire Uaigneich on repaired ground, reaching the grassy bowl of Fionna-choire before zigzagging up increasingly indistinct, scree-covered slopes; the going worsens further into a steep, loose gully that Walkhighlands calls the hardest section of the climb. Higher still the path clears again along the rim of Blà Bheinn’s eastern cliffs, with views across to the neighbouring peak of Clach Glas, before a short, easy scramble up a narrowing gully gains the summit.

Walkhighlands gives the round as 8km and 990m of ascent, five to six hours, returning by the same path; it rates the terrain a bog factor of 5 out of 5. It is for walkers with some scrambling experience and a full day free for the drive and the climb; it does not suit anyone hoping for a quick walk near Portree itself, or anyone unwilling to cross loose scree and a scramble-graded gully to reach the top. For a shorter Skye walk that starts much closer to Portree and needs no scrambling, the Old Man of Storr is a 5km, two-hour round instead of a full day out.