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Two of the Three Sisters, the steep rock spurs of Bidean nam Bian, in low cloud above the autumn moor, with a path and the A82 in the glen below.
Glen Coe and Glen Etive

Bidean nam Bian

A Munro of 1,149 metres, number 24 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Bidean nam Bian rises on the south side of Glen Coe, behind the Three Sisters, the three great ridges that run down from it towards the glen.

The Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team calls it Glencoe's highest summit, and it is the twenty-fourth highest of all the Munros.

The National Trust for Scotland cares for Glencoe National Nature Reserve, which it describes as one of Scotland's busiest, with eight Munros. Coire Gabhail, the Hidden Valley or Lost Valley, lies under the hill's crags, and the Trust's rangers patrol it.

Stob Coire Sgreamhach, the nearest Munro, is just over a kilometre to the south-east.

The way up
Read the route before you go.
The ground
The National Trust for Scotland looks after Glencoe National Nature Reserve, where its rangers patrol Coire Gabhail. It asks for no campfires anywhere in the reserve.
Under snow
On the steep, craggy ground above the Lost Valley, the avalanche service warns, even a minor avalanche is likely to have very serious consequences for anyone caught in it.
Summit
Grid reference NN 143 542
Parking
The National Trust for Scotland names two busy parking areas beside the A82, overlooking the Three Sisters: Coire Gabhail and Coire nan Lochan. In November 2023 it wrote of a project to deal with the safety and capacity pressure on them.
Bus
Shiel Buses' route 44 between Fort William and Kinlochleven stops at Glencoe.
On the hill today
−1° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 1,149 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 17Mostly clear−3° to 3° on top · 4 mph, gusts 9
Sun 18Mostly clear−3° to 3° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 4° 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, Bidean nam Bian, 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 Perfect pics, Adrian Kopczyński (LEPSZYTY) and Scotland 39, via Google

The head of the Lost Valley would be a hazardous place to be in avalanche conditions.The Scottish Avalanche Information Service, its Glencoe observer, January 2019
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 143 542
  • 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 Coire Sgreamhach, Buachaille Etive Beag - Stob Dubh, Sgurr na h-Ulaidh, Aonach Eagach - Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the National Trust for Scotland's, Shiel Buses' and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's, which also gives the avalanche forecast; the weather 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.