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Gairich rising beyond Loch Quoich, the sun bright on the water and cloud on its top.
Knoydart and Loch Quoich

Gairich

A Munro of 919 metres, number 272 of the 282.

Photograph by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Gairich stands south of Loch Quoich, above Glen Kingie, in the stretch of hills the Scottish Mountaineering Club calls Knoydart to Glen Kingie.

It is one of the lower Munros, with only ten below it on the list, but it stands well apart. It has a drop of 552 metres, and its nearest neighbours, Gleouraich across the loch to the north and Sgurr Mor to the west, are both about six kilometres away.

The loch below is held back by the Quoich dam, which SSE Renewables runs and dates to 1956.

Stalking
Watch for signs on the ground and follow reasonable advice from land managers. Mountaineering Scotland's stalking page says how to check before you go.
Phone signal
Mobile signal in the Highlands is often patchy or missing altogether.
Under snow
There is no avalanche forecast for this hill, but that does not mean there is no risk under snow. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service's full winter forecasts for its six areas begin on 17 December 2026.
Summit
Grid reference NN 025 995.
The road
SSEN Transmission has been working on the public road by Loch Quoich to Kinloch Hourn. On 25 August 2026 it reported the road fully open, though stop and go traffic control may be in place at times and work on the Quoich Bridge was still to be done. Check its page before you travel.
On the hill today
0° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 919 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.

West wind to 10 mph, gusting 22
Rain, about 4 mm
Light from 7.55am to 6.17pm, ten hours

Sat 17Some cloud−1° to 5° on top · 6 mph, gusts 13
Sun 18Cloudy−3° to 4° on top · 8 mph, gusts 18
Mon 19Cloudy−5° to 6° on top · 4 mph, gusts 9

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Northwest Highlands forecast, Met Office Northwest Highlands forecast, Gairich, Scottish Avalanche Information Service, The road by Loch Quoich to Kinloch Hourn.

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.

Gairich across Loch Quoich, seen from the frosted slopes of Gleouraich.

Photographs by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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 025 995
  • 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.

Next along: Gleouraich, Spidean Mialach, Sgurr Mor, Sgurr a' Mhaoraich. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are SSEN Transmission'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.