At One with the Mountains - An interview with Nick Gardner
Issue 6: Nick Gardner and his wife Janet were living an idyllic life on a croft…
Glen Shiel and Kintail
Aonach air Chrith
A Munro of 1,020 metres, number 111 of the 282.
The hill
Aonach air Chrith stands in the hills between Glen Shiel and Loch Quoich.
Loch Cluanie, the long reservoir beside the A87 on the road to Skye, lies under these Munros.
It is higher than the Munros on either side of it: Maol Chinn-dearg, about two kilometres to the west, and Druim Shionnach, a little further to the east. Gleouraich is about three kilometres to the south.
This is the South Shiel Ridge, one of the ranges the Kintail Mountain Rescue Team names in an area that takes in 39 Munros between Kyle of Lochalsh and Loch Ness.
- The ground
- Kintail Mountain Rescue Team, whose hills include the South Shiel Ridge, calls the country it covers particularly demanding, with large areas of consistently steep ground and well-defined ridges.
- 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 full winter forecasts for its six areas begin on 17 December 2026.
- Summit
- Grid reference NH 051 083.
- Parking
- The Highland Council lists no car park at Cluanie, in Glen Shiel, at Invergarry or in Glenmoriston. Find where to leave a car in a route description before you set out.
- Phone signal
- Mobile coverage is still poor in places, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team warns, so bear it in mind and plan for it before you head out.
On the hill today
0° to 3°Rain on the summit, 1,020 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.
West wind to 10 mph, gusting 20
Rain, about 10 mm
Light from 7.55am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Mostly clear−2° to 4° on top · 5 mph, gusts 12
Sun 18Some cloud−3° to 4° on top · 10 mph, gusts 18
Mon 19Some cloud−5° to 5° on top · 5 mph, gusts 12
A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Northwest Highlands forecast, Aonach air Chrith, Scottish Avalanche Information Service.
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.
Photographs by James Caven, DL and Jono Newman, via Google
It's vital to remember that the conditions up in the hills can be very different from those at the roadside, and they can change quickly.Kintail Mountain Rescue Team, whose base is at Morvich in Glenshiel
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 051 083
- 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 Aonach air Chrith 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.
Read more elsewhere
For the route itself, take the map and read these.
- Aonach air Chrith on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with maps, for the way to the summitwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Kintail Mountain Rescue Team on mountain safetyThe rescue team on conditions and phone signal in its hillskintailmrt.org.ukThe rescue team↗
- Mountaineering Scotland on deer stalkingWhen stalking takes place and what to domountaineering.scotStalking↗
- Northwest Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast for the Northwest Highlands, three days ahead and written by forecasters. Its area runs north from Knoydart in the west and the Great Glen in the east; the area map shows which forecast covers a hillmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Aonach air ChrithThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a computer model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Scottish Avalanche Information ServiceThere is no avalanche forecast for this hill, but snow can bring the risk all the same. Full winter forecasts begin on 17 December 2026, sooner in North Cairngorm and Lochaber if winter comes earlysais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
Next along: Maol Chinn-dearg, Druim Shionnach, Gleouraich, Creag a' Mhaim. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Kintail Mountain Rescue Team's and the Highland Council'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.