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…
Knoydart and Loch Quoich
Gulvain
A Munro of 987 metres, number 161 of the 282.
Photograph by DL, via Google
The hill
Gulvain, Gaor Bheinn in Gaelic, stands above Loch Eil in the hills between Fort William and Mallaig.
It keeps its distance from the other Munros. The nearest, Sgurr Thuilm, is more than six kilometres to the west, and the next is ten kilometres away.
That makes Gulvain very much a mountain on its own. Of its 987 metres, 842 are the drop between it and any higher ground.
- Stalking
- Hinds are stalked from 21 October to 15 February. Watch for signs on the ground and follow reasonable advice from land managers.
- 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 002 875
On the hill today
0° to 4°Rain on the summit, 987 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.
West wind to 10 mph, gusting 21
Rain, about 6 mm
Light from 7.55am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Some cloud−1° to 4° on top · 6 mph, gusts 14
Sun 18Cloudy−3° to 3° on top · 12 mph, gusts 23
Mon 19Some cloud−5° to 5° on top · 4 mph, gusts 10
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, The Northwest Highlands forecast, Met Office Southwest Highlands forecast, Gulvain, Scottish Avalanche Information Service.
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.
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 002 875
- 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 Gulvain 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.
Read more elsewhere
For the route itself, take the map and read these.
- Gulvain on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with maps, for the start and the way to the summitwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Glenfinnan, Moidart and GulvainHarvey's Superwalker map of Glenfinnan, Moidart and Gulvainharveymaps.co.ukThe map↗
- Deer stalking, from Mountaineering ScotlandWhen stags and hinds are stalked, and how to check before you gomountaineering.scotStalking↗
- ThinkWINTERMountaineering Scotland on the hills under snowmountaineering.scotWinter↗
- West Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast for the West Highlands from Glenfinnan south, three days ahead and written by forecasters. Gulvain stands close to the boundary, so check the area mapmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- The Northwest Highlands forecastThe neighbouring forecast, north from Knoydart in the west and the Great Glen in the east: read it too if the area map puts the hill heremwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Met Office Southwest Highlands forecastThe Met Office's mountain forecast for the Southwest Highlands, the area its summit forecast links toweather.metoffice.gov.ukMountain weather↗
- GulvainThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a computer model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Scottish Avalanche Information ServiceThere is no avalanche forecast for this hill, but snow can bring the risk all the same. Full winter forecasts begin on 17 December 2026, sooner in North Cairngorm and Lochaber if winter comes earlysais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
Next along: Sgurr Thuilm, Sgurr nan Coireachan, Sgurr nan Coireachan, Sgurr Mor. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Mountaineering Scotland's and Harvey'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.