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A cairn of slabs with a white quartz block on a flat top of slaty stones, and a dark, steep-faced mountain beyond under piled cloud.
Ben Nevis, the Mamores and the Grey Corries

Aonach Beag

A Munro of 1,234 metres, number 7 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Aonach Beag is the seventh highest of the Munros, and it keeps grand company in Lochaber.

Aonach Mor is about a kilometre and a half to the north and Ben Nevis about three kilometres to the west. Of the two Aonachs this is the higher, by nearly fourteen metres.

The summit is on the John Muir Trust's Ben Nevis estate, 1,761 hectares within the Ben Nevis and Glencoe National Scenic Area, where the Trust lists ptarmigan and snow bunting among the wildlife. In April 2025 the avalanche forecasters named it, with Aonach Mor and Ben Nevis, among the last places holding large areas of snow.

It is not to be confused with the Aonach Beag near Loch Ericht.

Nearest car parks
The two nearest car parks are at Torlundy: Nevis Range's, at the foot of the gondola on Aonach Mòr, and Forestry and Land Scotland's North Face car park. For the way, the distance and the time, follow the route description and the map.
The land
The John Muir Trust looks after the summits of three Munros: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mòr Dearg and Aonach Beag.
The gondola
Nevis Range's gondola climbs Aonach Mòr from 100 metres to a top station at 650, and hill walkers use it to explore Aonach Mòr and the mountains around. In October 2026 the first went up at 9.30am, the last at 3.45pm, and the last came down at 4pm, and it can close without notice. Plan the way down without the gondola.
Summit
Grid reference NN 197 715
Car park
Nevis Range Mountain Resort, Torlundy, PH33 6SQ: give a satnav the resort's name, as the postcode alone is not exact. In October 2026 its parking page gave £6 a day, paid online or at its machines, and its gondola page £5. Forestry and Land Scotland's North Face car park was £3 for the day, by card or RingGo.
Bus
From Fort William, Nevis Range recommends Shiel Buses' route 41. Check the times with the operator.
Toilets and food
Nevis Range has toilets and a café at the foot of the gondola. There are none at the North Face car park: the nearest are in Fort William or at Nevis Range.
On the hill today
−1° to 1°Rain on the summit, 1,234 m. Feels like −6° in the wind.

West wind to 18 mph, gusting 33
Rain, about 7 mm
Light from 7.53am to 6.16pm, ten hours

Sat 17Mostly clear−2° to 1° on top · 8 mph, gusts 19
Sun 18Mostly clear−5° to 2° on top · 10 mph, gusts 18
Mon 19Cloudy−7° to 4° on top · 4 mph, gusts 9

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: West Highlands forecast, Aonach Beag, Lochaber avalanche forecast.

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 David Shepherd, Doug Hall and DL, via Google

Once at the gondola top station you are in a high mountain environment with all the associated dangers including avalanche, cornice collapse, unstable snow, ice and rock.Nevis Range, which runs the gondola on Aonach Mòr, beside this hill, on its page for winter climbers
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 NN 197 715
  • 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

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

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

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Aonach Mor, Carn Mor Dearg, Ben Nevis, Sgurr Choinnich Mor. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the John Muir Trust's, Nevis Range's, Forestry and Land Scotland's and Shiel Buses'; 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.