The Foinaven and Reay Forest mountains

The group of hills comprising of Foinaven and the Reay Forest areas are exceptionally wild and remote and include the Corbetts: Foinaven, Arkle, Meall Horn, Meallan Liath Mhic Dhughaill, Ben Hee, Cranstackie and Beinn Spionnaidh. This is a great area, well worth exploration and much less frequented than either Ben Hope or the more popular Assynt hills. The group occupies a huge area between the A838 Lairg to Durness road in the west, and the A836 Lairg to Tongue and Altnaharra to Hope roads in the east, with several main access points around these roads. Accommodation can be booked in the Durness, Tongue or Lairg areas, any of which are ideal locations for exploring the area.

A track between Allnabad, on the Altnaharra to Hope road, and West Merkland traverses the range between Ben Hee and Beinn Direach over the Bealach nam Meirleach providing good access to the southern hills.

The A838 gives access to Ben Hee from West Merkland; Meallan Liath Mhic Dhughaill from Kinloch; Arkle and Meall Horn from near Achfary; Foinaven from Gualin House between Rhiconich and Durness; and Cranstackie and Beinn Spionnaidh from either Rhigolter or Polla.

Ben Hee

Ben Hee is a big mass of a Corbett with several ridges and corries radiating from its central 873 metre ...

Winter Afternoon - Arkle & Foinaven from Ben Hope, Northern Sutherland

Foinaven and Arkle

Foinaven and its neighbour Arkle are amongst Scotland's finest and most starkly beautiful mountains. Foinaven is one of the highest ...

Explore Foinaven and Arkle with the interactive map of the mountain, photos and indicative routes below. Click on a feature to see photos and more information; see a legend by toggling the side panel and switch layers on and off. View a larger map here. Please let me know what you think!

Interactive map of Foinaven and Arkle including the Corbett summit and photos

View larger map

Important note: Routes on this map are provided as an indication only in good faith. They are approximate and indicative and should not be relied on for navigation or as a guarantee that any specific person will be capable of completing them. Read more

A Stunning November Afternoon on the Summit of Ben Hee, Northern Sutherland

Arkle and Foinaven from the Ben Hope summit plateau - 2, Northern Sutherland

Cranstackie and Beinn Spionnaidh from the Ben Hope summit plateau, Northern Sutherland

The southern Reay Forest hills from An t-Sail Mhor, Foinaven, Northern Sutherland

Am Bathaich at the east end of the A' Cheir Ghorm ridge with the main Foinaven ridge ahead, Northern Sutherland

Lord Reay's Seat (Sgurr Cadha na Beucaich), point 869m and Ganu Mor from Stob Cadha na Beucaich - 2, Northern Sutherland

Cranstackie and A' Cheir Ghorm from the nameless 869m top - 2, Northern Sutherland

Cranstackie and Beinn Spionnaidh at sunset from An t-Sail Mhor, Northern Sutherland

Last of the sunlight on Arkle from An t-Sail Mhor, Northern Sutherland

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Late afternoon on beautiful Ceannabeinne beach (Traigh Allt Chailgeag)

Ceannabeinne Durness – Grey November Day but Still Beautiful

Saturday was a grey day in the far north, there was some mizzle in Caithness to start. The forecast had seemed okay so I set out with my boy to head west and do something. No firm plans, just a need (on my part) to get out of the house ...

Dawn Over the Kyle of Tongue, Northern Sutherland

Ben Hope Summit Camp

Back in July I had a free weekend that coincided with good weather in the north west. This generally seems to be a rare occurrence with good weather appearing to only happen during the working week. Whilst having climbed Ben Hope many times I had never spent a night high ...

Photo of a Puffin surveying the geo around Wester Clett, "Puffin Island"

Puffin Colony – Wester Clett, Sutherland

Just on the Sutherland side of the Sutherland/Caithness border, on the coast at Drumhollistan Moss, is a complex series of deep geos, or coastal inlets, with a steep sided island called Wester Clett in the middle. Wester Clett has been popularly named "Puffin Island" and the surrounding geos as "Puffin ...