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…
Glen Shiel and Kintail
Maol Chinn-dearg
A Munro of 980 metres, number 172 of the 282.
The hill
Maol Chinn-dearg stands in the hills between Glen Shiel and Loch Quoich, on what Kintail Mountain Rescue Team calls the South Shiel Ridge.
It is not to be confused with Maol Chean-dearg in Torridon.
There are Munros close on either hand: Aonach air Chrith about two kilometres to the east and Sgurr an Doire Leathain about two to the north-west. Gleouraich is about three and a half kilometres to the south.
The rescue team describes its country as one of well-defined ridges, and counts it among the most impressive and remote landscapes in Scotland.
- The ground
- Kintail Mountain Rescue Team, whose hills include the South Shiel Ridge, calls the country it covers particularly demanding, with large areas of consistently steep ground and well-defined ridges.
- 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 NH 032 087.
- Parking
- The Highland Council lists no car park at Cluanie, in Glen Shiel, at Invergarry or in Glenmoriston. Find where to leave a car in a route description before you set out.
- Phone signal
- Mobile coverage is still poor in places, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team warns, so bear it in mind and plan for it before you head out.
On the hill today
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, Maol Chinn-dearg, 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.
Photographs by John W and James Caven, via Google
It's vital to remember that the conditions up in the hills can be very different from those at the roadside, and they can change quickly.Kintail Mountain Rescue Team, whose base is at Morvich in Glenshiel
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 NH 032 087
- 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 Maol Chinn-dearg 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.
- Maol Chinn-dearg on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with maps, for the way to the summitwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Kintail Mountain Rescue Team on mountain safetyThe rescue team on conditions and phone signal in its hillskintailmrt.org.ukThe rescue team↗
- Mountaineering Scotland on deer stalkingWhen stalking takes place and what to domountaineering.scotStalking↗
- Northwest Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast for the Northwest Highlands, three days ahead and written by forecasters. Its area runs north from Knoydart in the west and the Great Glen in the east; the area map shows which forecast covers a hillmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Maol Chinn-deargThe 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: Aonach air Chrith, Sgurr an Doire Leathain, Sgurr an Lochain, Gleouraich. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Kintail Mountain Rescue Team's and the Highland Council'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.