Ben Hope
| Ben Hope | ||
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 West side of Ben Hope, taken from Loch Eriboll |
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| height | 927 m ASL | |
| location | Sutherland , Highlands | |
| Mountains | Northwest Highlands | |
| Notch height | 772 m | |
| Coordinates | 58 ° 24 '48 " N , 4 ° 36' 31" W | |
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| particularities | Northernmost Munro (mountain over 3000 ft = 914 m) in Scotland | |
The Ben Hope ( Scottish Gaelic Beinn HOB ) is a mountain in the former county of Sutherland in the far north of the Scottish mainland, about 25 km southwest of Tongue . It is the northernmost of the 282 Munros and - apart from the neighboring Foinaven , which is a few meters lower - by far the highest mountain in a wide area.
This and the fact that it rises to 927 m just a few kilometers from the Atlantic coast make it a particularly popular mountain with hikers and mountaineers. It probably owes its name to its location above Loch Hope and near the bay of Loch Eriboll , which can be roughly translated as "mountain by the bay". Another feature of the Ben Hope, which is rather untypical for the otherwise gently rolling Northwestern Highlands, is its imposing west face, which rises about 800 m. However, since it consists to a large extent of a steeply sloping, grassy flank, the north face of Ben Nevis is generally regarded as the highest face in the British Isles.
Ascent
Unlike many of the other mountains in the Highlands , particularly the Northwestern Highlands , the Ben Hope is easily accessible. On the western side, right at the foot of the mountain, there is a small road ( A838 ), on which the parking lot for the normal route is at the Strathmore homestead . The entrance to the path is signposted, which is quite unusual for Scottish conditions - mostly paths are neither signposted nor can be found on maps. From the parking lot, the path initially follows a steep, later flattening, small stream and finally crosses the steep rocks on the west side of the mountain at a flat and easily accessible point. The path follows, now running on the south side of the mountain, more or less the steep west wall to the summit. From there you have impressive views in all directions, to the north is the Atlantic, to the west you can see the neighboring Foinaven, to the east the Ben Loyal , to the southeast the Ben Klibreck and to the south the double peaks of the Conival and the Ben More Assynt .
Another path leads up the mountain from the northeast. The easiest way to start here is on the shores of the Kyle of Tongue bay , around which a small ring road leads. However, the path is much longer and not signposted, and most of the path is barely recognizable as it is seldom used.
