Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Fisherfield and Dundonnell

A' Mhaighdean

A Munro of 966 metres, number 190 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

A' Mhaighdean stands deep in the Fisherfield and Letterewe forests of Wester Ross, in the country Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team knows as the Great Wilderness and counts among the most remote in the UK.

The name means "the maiden", and Letterewe Estate calls it Scotland's remotest Munro. The estate's lodge at Carnmore has no road to it, and sits on the edge of a great bowl of mountains, with A' Mhaighdean among them.

Its nearest neighbour is Ruadh Stac Mor, just over a kilometre to the north-east, and Beinn Tarsuinn stands about four kilometres to the south-east.

The way in
Letterewe Estate's lodge at Carnmore, below the hill, has to be reached by estate track from Poolewe. Plan the way in from the route description and the map.
The ground
Letterewe Estate's stalking country. Do not take the absence of a notice to mean there is no stalking. Mountaineering Scotland calls the first three weeks of October the busiest time of the stag season.
Access
The estate's history records the Letterewe Accord on access, agreed in 1993. Ask the estate what it asks of walkers.
Under snow
There is no avalanche forecast for this hill, but that does not mean there is no risk under snow. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service's forecasts for its six areas begin on 17 December 2026.
Summit
Grid reference NH 007 749
Shenavall bothy
The Mountain Bothies Association's bothy at Shenavall, on Gruinard Estate's ground, is not available during stag stalking, from 15 September to 20 October. A work party from 21 to 25 October 2026 may bring some disruption. Never plan a day that depends on a bothy.
Food and supplies
Letterewe Estate tells its Carnmore guests there are no shops or restaurants close by, and sends them to the shops in Poolewe and Gairloch.
On the hill today
1° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 966 m. Feels like −5° in the wind.

West wind to 19 mph, gusting 35
Rain, about 9 mm
Light from 7.57am to 6.16pm, ten hours

Sat 17Drizzle0° to 4° on top · 11 mph, gusts 19
Sun 18Cloudy0° to 4° on top · 16 mph, gusts 29
Mon 19Cloudy−1° to 6° on top · 6 mph, gusts 13

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: The Northwest Highlands forecast, A' Mhaighdean.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NH 007 749
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from A' Mhaighdean yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

Tell the next person

Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.

Sign in to tell them
From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Ruadh Stac Mor, Beinn Tarsuinn, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Sgurr Ban. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Letterewe Estate's, Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team's, the Mountain Bothies Association's and Mountaineering Scotland's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.