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Ben Cruachan's pointed summit and its neighbouring top, streaked with old snow, seen along the ridge from a stone cairn, low cloud over the glens beyond.
Ben Cruachan

Ben Cruachan

A Munro of 1,127 metres, number 31 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Ben Cruachan stands above the north shore of Loch Awe in Argyll, east of Oban, and it has a power station built inside it.

A dam and a reservoir sit high on its side, and Drax, which owns and runs them, keeps a visitor centre down by the loch with a café called the Hollow Mountain.

Drax counts Ben Cruachan among the finest Munros of the Southern Highlands, popular with hillwalkers and climbers alike. Its nearest Munro, Stob Daimh, is about two and a half kilometres to the east.

From Falls of Cruachan station, Drax's path climbs steeply through woodland and onto open hillside to the dam, 400 metres up. Above the dam, a ridge walk to the neighbouring peak of Stob Diamh makes a round of the reservoir, on steep and rocky paths with some scrambling. The way down is a grassy slope that can be boggy.

Distance and time
Drax gives 8.5 miles and seven to nine hours for the round of the reservoir over Ben Cruachan and Stob Diamh, and grades it hard.
Starts from
Falls of Cruachan station, 200 metres along the road from the Cruachan Visitor Centre on the A85.
Under snow
There is no avalanche forecast for Ben Cruachan; the service forecasts six other areas. That does not mean there is no risk here under snow.
Summit
Grid reference NN 069 304
Parking
In 2026, Drax's free car park at the Cruachan Visitor Centre is for visitors to the centre. The centre is shut on Saturdays and Sundays, and from 18 December 2026 to 1 February 2027.
Train and bus
Falls of Cruachan station, on the Glasgow to Oban line, is 200 metres from the visitor centre, and the centre is on Glasgow to Oban bus routes. Check with ScotRail and Citylink which services stop, and when.
The dam road and food
From Lochawe village a three-mile road runs to the dam. It is gated against cars, with a foot gate beside it, and parking there is very limited. The Hollow Mountain Cafe at the visitor centre opens Monday to Friday, until 2.45pm.
On the hill today
0° to 3°Rain on the summit, 1,127 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

North-west wind to 12 mph, gusting 23
Rain, about 5 mm
Light from 7.53am to 6.18pm, ten hours

Sat 17Clear−2° to 3° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15
Sun 18Clear−4° to 2° on top · 10 mph, gusts 18
Mon 19Cloudy−5° to 5° on top · 7 mph, gusts 17

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, Ben Cruachan.

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 Sean Williamson, Colin Thompson (ColT), Charles McMicking and Stu G, via Google

Hillwalking essentials, including sturdy boots, a map, compass, torch, whistle and warm, waterproof clothing are all a must for safety on Cruachan as the weather is unpredictable – even in the height of summer.Drax, which owns the power station and the dam
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 069 304
  • 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: Stob Daimh, Beinn a' Chochuill, Beinn Eunaich, Beinn nan Aighenan. Checked on 9 October 2026. The figures and the paths on this page are Drax's, which owns the power station and the dam; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office'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.