is barred by a sea of peat bogs that give Carn Bhac its name. These cannot be completely avoided. The best course is to go west-southwest along the ridge of Carn Bhac to the minor top at Point 920, where an ill-defined spur leads south to a wide col. A little further along this ridge, beyond Point 920 towards Carn a’ Bhutha, are the remains of an old stone building in a position of such remoteness and altitude that the imagination can’t fail to be stirred by its appearance. Descending to the col is pleasant and easy at first over soft grass, but the problems soon arrive in the form of deep peat hags and pools which must somehow be crossed. If you traverse too far to the left or right you run the risk of dropping down below the col and having to climb back up to it.
Once this obstacle has been successfully negotiated the next one becomes apparent. The steep scree-covered slopes of the Big Sharp-Edged One have now to be climbed. Do not go into the corrie on the right where the headwalls are very steep. Instead climb straight up from the col. There are signs that people have made the ascent at various points along this flank. The right-hand end of the wall, before it curves round into the corrie, may be the best line of attack. Once you are onto the ridge proper things become easy for a while, and a pleasant walk brings you up to the Beinn Iutharn Mhor summit cairn at 04570 79270 (3hrs 40mins from Altanour Lodge).
If the weather is favourable and you are still feeling strong, it is possible to continue on to Carn an Righ and Glas Tulaichean before descending, but bear in mind that this will add over 500m of vertical ascent to the route, in addition to the extra 8 or 9km of walking (an extra 3hrs 15mins). (These two summits, together with nearby An Socach, are covered in volume 1 of this guide.)
To descend from Beinn Iutharn Mhor there are two or three possibilities. Perhaps the easiest is to go the full length of the ridge and drop down its northeast spur. It is steep at the bottom, where there is deep heather to cross, but the difficulties are fairly short-lived. This route brings you to the west bank of the Allt Beinn Iutharn. Another possibility is to descend south to the col between Beinn Iutharn Mhor and Mam nan Cairn and then follow the burn down the valley to the northeast. This is wet and rough in places. Some deer tracks on the valley sides may help, but most of them will take you the wrong way if you follow them too far.
The usual return route, and probably the best, is to drop south to the col below Mam nan Carn, then traverse around this hill to reach the stony col between it and Beinn Iutharn Bheag. You have another 100m of climbing to do this way, but out of the blue a path appears to help you on your way. Pass the cairn on Beinn Iutharn Bheag’s summit at 06498 79057 and continue to another small cairn at 06753 79430, which marks the top of the descent (the path by now has once again vanished). The north side of Beinn Iutharn Bheag is quite steep, especially at the top. There are two ribs, not really recognizable as ridges - one to the west and one to the east. The one to the west is the safe way down, though it does not come into sight until after you have started the descent. In poor weather this can be an intimidating line to follow. Work your way down through the heather and cross the burn, then follow it back to Altanour Lodge.
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