Beinn Eighe is one of the more spectacular peaks that defines the North West Highlands of Scotland. With its great expanses of bare scree catching the sun, the south face of Beinn Eighe, makes it an obvious target for those seeking a dramatic mountain environment in which to take to the air. Beinn Eighe is most commonly flown in very light southerly, or nil wind conditions. Although the take off point on the col above Stuc Coire an Laoigh does not allow a launch facing due south, it does enable a pilot to launch in either a south westerly or south easterly facing direction. Because, at various points on a sunny day thermals will have a tendency to be drawn up either face, it’s normally just a case of waiting a short while to get a feel for the conditions before launching. It is also quite common to experience a breeze blowing along the glen from Loch Torridon, in which case the south westerly facing (slightly less committing) launch will be preferable. Once in the air, beware of scratching too close to the rocky slopes and, if flying in the bowl of Coire an Laoigh keep a watchful eye out for a change in wind direction if a sea breeze does start to develop.

Although the walk from the parking area to the usual take off area is short, there’s no denying it is rather brutal, requiring 2500ft of ascent in 2.4km! The path is well marked and leads up past the plantation into Coire an Laoigh. Once in the coire proper the way up is obvious and it tackles the steep western slopes of the coire directly, before emerging onto a col that separates the spur of Stuc Coire an Laoigh from Spidean Coire nan Clach (993m), one of the main summits of the Beinn Eighe ridge. This col is grassy and forms a quite small, but still excellent, area from which to launch in either a south west or south easterly direction. Landing is possible pretty much anywhere in the glen, though watch out for the power lines that run alongside the road. Beinn Eighe is easily accessed from the A896 which runs the length of Glen Torridon from Kinlochewe to Torridon Village. Travelling west along the A896 from Kinlochewe, after 7.5 km look out for a small forestry plantation on the right hand side of the road. A rough track leads towards the plantation where there is an information board and room for several cars to park. If this parking area is full, a much larger car park can be found 2km further down the road. Please do not park in the passing places. This area lies inside the Highland Restricted Area (HRA) and midweek flying is subject to strict restrictions. This area lies inside the Highland Restricted Area (HRA) and midweek flying is subject to strict restrictions.

Wind direction may change rapidly as sea breeze sets in.