
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…

A Munro of 978 metres, number 176 of the 282.
Photograph by James Caven, via Google
Cona' Mheall stands beside Beinn Dearg in the hills between Loch Broom and Strath Oykel, near Ullapool.
Beinn Dearg, the highest of its neighbours, is only about a kilometre and a half to the west.
Three more Munros are close by: Meall nan Ceapraichean and Eididh nan Clach Geala to the north-west, and Am Faochagach to the south-east.
Forestry and Land Scotland, which looks after the forest at Inverlael, sums these hills up well: 'This is open, wild country.'
West wind to 20 mph, gusting 38
Rain, about 10 mm
Light from 7.55am to 6.14pm, ten hours
A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: The Northwest Highlands forecast, Cona' Mheall, Scottish Avalanche Information Service.
Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.
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.
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
Nobody has written from Cona' Mheall yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.
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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For the route itself, take the map and read these.
Next along: Beinn Dearg, Meall nan Ceapraichean, Eididh nan Clach Geala, Am Faochagach. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Forestry and Land Scotland's, Mountaineering Scotland's and Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team'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.