Beinn a' Ghlò
mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK

Beinn a’ Ghlò is a Scottish mountain situated roughly ten kilometres (six miles) northeast of Blair Atholl in the Forest of Atholl in between Glen Tilt and Glen Loch, in Cairngorms National Park.
Details
It is a huge, complex hill with many ridges, summits and corries, covering approximately 40 km2 (15 sq mi) with three Munros. These are Càrn Liath (Grey Cairn) at 976 metres (3,202 ft), Bràigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain ("Brae/Brow of the Corrie of Round Blisters", "blisters" referring to rock formations) at 1,070 metres (3,510 ft) and Càrn nan Gabhar ("Hill/cairn of the Goats") at 1,121.9 metres (3,681 ft). The mountain has patches of grey scree (see pictures) amongst grass, while heather grows quite profusely on the lower slopes and gives the hill a colourful skirt when in bloom in summer.
Flora and fauna
Beinn a' Ghlò has such a diversity of flora that it has been declared a SSSI and a SAC over an area of 80 km2 (31 sq mi). It is a region of European dry heaths and there are many species of alpine and marsh plants on the mountain such as the rare yellow oxytropis (Oxytropis campestris), mountain avens (Dryas octopetala), rock speedwell (Veronica fruticans), rock sedge (Carex rupestris) and green spleenwort (Asplenium viride).
Human activity
Beinn a' Ghlò is a familiar sight to motorists travelling north along the A9 road at the Pass of Killiecrankie but this view only shows Càrn Liath. The main mass of the mountain is hidden behind with the highest and most distant Munro, Càrn nan Gabhar, more than 12 km (7+1⁄2 mi) from Blair Atholl, so it is a full day's expedition to climb all three Munros. Beinn a' Ghlò has nineteen corries and legend says that a rifle shot in any one cannot be heard in any of the others. Queen Victoria viewed the mountain in 1844 on a drive up Glen Tilt, saying, "We came upon a lovely view — Beinn a' Ghlò straight before us — and under these high hills the River Tilt gushing and winding over stones and slates … and the air so pure and fine but no description can do it justice".
The public source identifies “Beinn a' Ghlò” as mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Beinn, Ghlò and mountain.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Beinn a' Ghlò”, the useful work is to connect “mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3397088. Authority coordinates are 56.840, -3.695. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1844.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Beinn a' Ghlò” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.