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The pale quartzite dome of Sgùrr Bàn, with darker peaks beyond.
Fisherfield and Dundonnell

Sgurr Ban

A Munro of 989 metres, number 157 of the 282.

Photograph by Ted and Jen (CC BY 2.0)

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Sgurr Ban stands in the Fisherfield and Letterewe forests of Wester Ross, between Loch Maree and Loch Broom.

The local rescue team counts this among the most remote areas in the UK, and Letterewe Estate allows no vehicles in the hills.

Its neighbour Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair is about a kilometre to the south, and Beinn Tarsuinn, Ruadh Stac Mor and A' Mhaighdean are all within five. A cairn marks the summit.

Shenavall bothy, which the Mountain Bothies Association has the use of from Gruinard Estate, is about six and a half kilometres away in a straight line.

The ground
Stalking country: the West Ross Deer Management Group's map of Munros and walking routes, of March 2019, numbers this hill and marks a cairn at the summit. Do not take the absence of a notice to mean there is no stalking. Mountaineering Scotland calls the first three weeks of October the busiest time of the stag season.
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 forecasts for its six areas begin on 17 December 2026.
Summit
Grid reference NH 055 745
Shenavall bothy
The Mountain Bothies Association's bothy at Shenavall, on Gruinard Estate's ground, is not available during stag stalking, from 15 September to 20 October. Never plan a day that depends on a bothy.
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: The Northwest Highlands forecast, Met Office Northwest Highlands forecast, Sgurr Ban, 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.

Photograph by Ted and Jen (CC BY 2.0)

Mountain ridges are steep and remote - often miles from any type of track and one of the main challenges facing the team are the vast distances involved.Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team, whose area takes in the Fisherfield and Letterewe forests
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 055 745
  • 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

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Beinn Tarsuinn, Ruadh Stac Mor, A' Mhaighdean. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team's, the Mountain Bothies Association's, Mountaineering Scotland's and the West Ross Deer Management Group'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.