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 Coe and Glen Etive
Beinn nan Aighenan
A Munro of 959 metres, number 199 of the 282.
The hill
Beinn nan Aighenan is the most southerly of the five Munros above Glen Etive, and it stands a little apart from the rest.
Glas Bheinn Mhor is about two and a half kilometres to the north and Ben Starav about three to the north-west, while Glen Kinglass lies on its far side.
This is wild country. Highland Council counts 22 Munros in the Loch Etive Mountains Wild Land Area, and Mountaineering Scotland describes Glen Etive as a National Scenic Area too.
- The way up
- Highland Council's planning reports of 2019 describe a well-used footpath up Glen Ceitlein as a route to the surrounding Munros and Corbetts. Take the way up from a route description and the map before you go.
- Stalking
- Watch for local signs: Mountaineering Scotland asks walkers to follow them where an estate has not published its stalking plans.
- Summit
- Grid reference NN 148 405
- The glen
- Highland Council calls Glen Etive a 25km cul-de-sac, with a single-track road, limited parking and no public transport.
- Glen Etive road end
- At the Loch Etive end of the glen road, Highland Council's car park is pay and display from 10 July 2026: £3 for up to 3 hours, £4 for up to 6, £5 for up to 12 and £10 for up to 24. There is no overnight parking between 10pm and 8am.
- Toilets and food
- Plan on finding no toilets or food in the glen, and carry everything the day needs.
On the hill today
1° to 4°Rain on the summit, 959 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.
West wind to 13 mph, gusting 27
Rain, about 5 mm
Light from 7.53am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Some cloud0° to 4° on top · 6 mph, gusts 15
Sun 18Mostly clear−2° to 4° on top · 7 mph, gusts 14
Mon 19Fog−4° to 6° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15
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, Beinn nan Aighenan, Southwest Highlands mountain forecast, Glencoe 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 John Irvine, via Google
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 148 405
- 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 Beinn nan Aighenan 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.
- Beinn nan Aighenan on WalkhighlandsA route description with a map, for the way upwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Charges at the Glen Etive road endHighland Council's notice of May 2026 on the charges and the overnight rule at its car park by Loch Etivehighland.gov.ukParking↗
- Deer stalkingThe stalking seasons, and how to find out what an estate is doing, from Mountaineering Scotlandmountaineering.scotStalking↗
- West Highlands forecastThree days ahead, written by forecasters, for an area that takes in the mountains around Glencoemwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Beinn nan AighenanThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a computer model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Southwest Highlands mountain forecastThe Met Office's mountain forecast for the area, which takes in Glen Coe and Argyllweather.metoffice.gov.ukMountain weather↗
- Glencoe avalanche forecastThe nearest avalanche forecast, though this hill lies outside the core of its area. Full winter forecasts begin on 17 December 2026. Under snow, the lack of a forecast is never a sign that there is no risksais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
Next along: Glas Bheinn Mhor, Ben Starav, Stob Coir' an Albannaich, Meall nan Eun. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Highland Council'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.