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…
Ben Nevis, the Mamores and the Grey Corries
Mullach nan Coirean
A Munro of 939 metres, number 235 of the 282.
The hill
Mullach nan Coirean is the westernmost Munro of the Mamores, about five miles in a straight line from Fort William.
Every one of its neighbours lies to the east, beginning with Stob Ban, under three kilometres away. Sgurr a' Mhaim and Am Bodach come next along the range.
Mullach nan Coirean and Stob Ban make a pair, and the avalanche forecasters for Lochaber photograph the two side by side.
- The land
- The Nevis Landscape Partnership names four landowners in Glen Nevis: Jahama Highland Estates, the John Muir Trust, Forestry and Land Scotland and Glen Nevis Estate. This summit is not one of the John Muir Trust's.
- Deer stalking
- The first three weeks of October are the busiest of the stag stalking season, and Mountaineering Scotland gives hind stalking as 21 October to 15 February. Jahama Highland Estates offers stalking on its estates from August to mid December, with hinds from about mid October. Pay close attention to signs and follow reasonable advice from land managers.
- Summit
- Grid reference NN 122 662
- Car park
- The improved Lower Falls car park in Glen Nevis opened on 10 May 2023, with three disabled bays and spaces for motorhomes.
- In summer
- The Nevis Landscape Partnership says parking in Glen Nevis is limited in summer and fills up early in the day. Shiel Buses' route 41 stops at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel; check the times with the operator.
- Toilets
- The Lower Falls car park has composting toilets, open through the winter, with no disabled access.
On the hill today
1° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 939 m. Feels like −2° in the wind.
West wind to 8 mph, gusting 18
Rain, about 4 mm
Light from 7.54am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Mostly clear−2° to 4° on top · 4 mph, gusts 11
Sun 18Mostly clear−2° to 4° on top · 8 mph, gusts 15
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 6° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15
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, Mullach nan Coirean, Lochaber 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.
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 122 662
- 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 Mullach nan Coirean 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.
- Mullach nan Coirean on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with maps, for the way to the summitwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- The Mamores, in the Lochaber forecasters' blogAn avalanche forecaster's photographs of 4 April 2025, one of this hill beside Stob Ban: pictures, not a routelochaberblog.sais.gov.ukPhotographs↗
- Deer stalking, by Mountaineering ScotlandThe stalking seasons, and what Mountaineering Scotland asks of walkers during themmountaineering.scotDeer stalking↗
- Glen Nevis Lower Falls car park opensThe Highland Council on the improved car park and new toilets, opened on 10 May 2023highland.gov.ukParking↗
- Lower Falls Car Park, Glen NevisThe Highland Council's record of the public toilets therehighland.gov.ukToilets↗
- Glen Nevis walks, by High Life HighlandThe forest and riverside walks from the Lower Falls car park: walks in the glen, not routes up the hillhighlifehighland.comThe glen↗
- West Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's West Highlands forecast, three days ahead from its forecasters, for the area that takes in Ben Nevis and Glencoemwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Mullach nan CoireanThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Lochaber avalanche forecastThe Lochaber avalanche forecast, from 17 December 2026 or sooner if winter comes early. Its area names the Aonach Mor range, Ben Nevis and the Grey Corries but not the Mamores, and snow brings the risk here all the same: the service's own reports have recorded avalanches in the Mamoressais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
Sleep and eat at its foot
Woodlands Glencoe
Stay: About six miles from the summit as the crow flies
Lime Tree Hotel
Eat: About five miles from the summit as the crow flies
Crannog at Garrison West
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The Wildcat
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Next along: Stob Ban, Sgurr a' Mhaim, Am Bodach, Stob Coire a' Chairn. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Highland Council's, the Nevis Landscape Partnership's, Jahama Highland Estates', Mountaineering Scotland's and Shiel Buses'; 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.