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
Sail Chaorainn
A Munro of 999 metres, number 141 of the 282.
Photograph by John Irvine, via Google
The hill
Sail Chaorainn stands in the hills between Glen Affric and Glen Moriston, north of Loch Cluanie.
At 999.2 metres it falls just 80 centimetres short of the thousand.
Its nearest neighbour is the higher Sgurr nan Conbhairean, about a kilometre and a half to the south, with Carn Ghluasaid beyond to the south-east.
The high ground the three share is a boundary as well. The local deer management plan gives it as the western edge of Ceannacroc Estate, with South Affric and Corrielair on the far side.
- The ground
- Kintail Mountain Rescue Team covers an area from Kyle of Lochalsh on the west coast to Loch Ness in the east, and calls its ground particularly demanding: large areas of consistently steep ground and well-defined ridges.
- The estates
- The Glenmoriston Deer Management Group's plan for 2016 to 2026 puts Ceannacroc Estate's western boundary, with South Affric and Corrielair, along the high ground of Sail Chaorainn, Sgurr na Conbhairean and Carn Ghluasaid. For stalking, read Mountaineering Scotland's page, listed below, before you go.
- 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 133 154
- Train
- There is a railway station at Kyle of Lochalsh.
- Phone signal
- Kintail Mountain Rescue Team warns that mobile coverage is still poor in places: bear that in mind before you head out, and plan for it.
On the hill today
0° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 999 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.
West wind to 14 mph, gusting 28
Rain, about 5 mm
Light from 7.55am to 6.16pm, ten hours
Sat 17Some cloud−2° to 4° on top · 7 mph, gusts 17
Sun 18Some cloud−2° to 3° on top · 12 mph, gusts 23
Mon 19Cloudy−3° to 6° on top · 5 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: Northwest Highlands forecast, Sail Chaorainn, The Met Office's Northwest Highlands mountain forecast, 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.
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 133 154
- 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 Sail Chaorainn 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.
- Sail Chaorainn 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↗
- The area map of the mountain forecastsWhich mountain forecast covers which hillsmwis.org.ukThe weather areas↗
- Northwest Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast, three days ahead and written by forecasters, for the area north from Knoydart in the west and the Great Glen in the east. Its area map shows which forecast covers a hillmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Sail ChaorainnThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a computer model for one point, not a report from the hill. The Met Office titles its page Sàil Chaorainnweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- The Met Office's Northwest Highlands mountain forecastThe Met Office's mountain forecast for the Northwest Highlands, the area its summit forecast links to, issued every afternoon before 6pmweather.metoffice.gov.ukMountain weather↗
- 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 nan Conbhairean, Carn Ghluasaid, A' Chraileag, Mullach Fraoch-choire. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Kintail Mountain Rescue Team's, the Glenmoriston Deer Management Group's, Mountaineering Scotland's and National Rail'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.