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Ben Starav whole from the floor of Glen Etive, its flat top and long right-hand ridge above green fields, a small pool and a lone tree, under broken cloud.
Glen Coe and Glen Etive

Ben Starav

A Munro of 1,080 metres, number 62 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Ben Starav stands by Glen Etive, and it is the big hill of its corner: number 62 of the 282 Munros by height, and taller than any of the four Munros nearest to it.

Glas Bheinn Mhor is the closest, a little under three kilometres to the east, with Beinn nan Aighenan to the south-east and Stob Coir' an Albannaich to the north-east. Meall nan Eun is further out, about seven kilometres to the east.

The way up
Take the start and 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 125 427
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
0° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 1,080 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

West wind to 12 mph, gusting 25
Rain, about 4 mm
Light from 7.53am to 6.17pm, ten hours

Sat 17Cloudy−2° to 3° on top · 4 mph, gusts 11
Sun 18Mostly clear−3° to 3° on top · 8 mph, gusts 15
Mon 19Fog−5° to 5° 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, Ben Starav, 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 David Shepherd and Ziolek2000, 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 125 427
  • 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 Ben Starav 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.

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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: Glas Bheinn Mhor, Beinn nan Aighenan, 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.