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…
Drumochter and Loch Ericht
Sgairneach Mhor
A Munro of 991 metres, number 155 of the 282.
The hill
Sgairneach Mhor stands on the west side of the A9 at Drumochter, the only one of the four Munros there that lies wholly in Perth and Kinross.
Beinn Udlamain is its nearest neighbour, about two kilometres to the west, and A' Mharconaich stands about three kilometres to the north.
Ben Alder Estate counts it among the nine Munros on its ground, along with Beinn Udlamain.
- Nearest start
- Transport Scotland's 2016 note on walkers' routes names the Drumochter Pass lay-bys on the A9 for Beinn Udlamain beside it, and records that walkers for these hills cross the A9 on the level.
- The ground
- Sgairneach Mhor is one of the nine Munros on Ben Alder Estate. Check for stalking before you go and follow any signs.
- Under snow
- There is no avalanche forecast for the Drumochter hills: the Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecasts for six other areas. Having no forecast does not mean there is no risk under snow.
- Summit
- Grid reference NN 598 731.
- Roadworks
- In October 2026 overnight resurfacing on the A9 at the Pass of Drumochter was due to finish by the morning of Tuesday 13 October, with temporary traffic lights, a lane closed during working hours and lay-by 83 shut. More works follow, so check Traffic Scotland on the day you travel.
- Fuel and toilets
- The Dalwhinnie Service Station has 24-hour fuel and a toilet.
On the hill today
0° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 991 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.
West wind to 12 mph, gusting 24
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.51am to 6.14pm, ten hours
Sat 17Mostly clear−3° to 4° on top · 7 mph, gusts 16
Sun 18Clear−3° to 4° on top · 9 mph, gusts 17
Mon 19Drizzle−5° to 5° on top · 9 mph, gusts 16
A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Southeastern Highlands forecast, Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Sgairneach Mhor, North Grampian mountain 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.
Photographs by David Keep and Steven Deas, via Google
Taking on Munros, while fun, is serious.Ben Alder Estate, which lists the hill among its Munros
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 598 731
- 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 Sgairneach Mhor 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.
- Sgairneach Mhor on WalkhighlandsA full route description with a mapwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Ben Alder Estate's MunrosThe estate's nine Munros, and what it asks of walkersben-alder.comThe estate↗
- Transport Scotland's note on walkers' routesTransport Scotland's own record, from 2016, of where walkers for the Drumochter hills start and cross the A9transport.gov.scotCrossing the A9↗
- A9 dualling, Glen Garry to DalwhinnieTransport Scotland on the scheme to put the crossings under the road; it is still in preparationtransport.gov.scotThe road↗
- Southeastern Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast, three days ahead and written by forecasters. Its area takes in Drumochter, with a note on the old county of Perthshire; read it with the Cairngorms forecastmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecastThe national park's area. Read it beside the Southeastern Highlands one; the service's area map shows which covers the hillmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Sgairneach MhorThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- North Grampian mountain forecastThe Met Office's mountain forecast for the area, the one its summit page links toweather.metoffice.gov.ukMountain weather↗
- A9 roadworks and closuresWorks, lane closures and closed lay-bys on the A9 at Drumochter, which change from day to daytraffic.gov.scotNotices↗
Sleep and eat at its foot
Rannoch at Redhill Retreat
Stay: At Kinloch Rannoch, on the Loch Rannoch side of these hills, away from…
Lassintullich House
Stay: On the Loch Rannoch side of these hills, away from the A9
The Cornerstone
Eat: Kinloch Rannoch; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Laggan Stores Coffee Bothy
Café: A café at Laggan Bridge, north of these hills
Next along: Beinn Udlamain, A' Mharconaich, Geal-charn, A' Bhuidheanach Bheag. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Transport Scotland's, Traffic Scotland's, Ben Alder Estate's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office'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.