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…
Knoydart and Loch Quoich
Sgurr Mor
A Munro of 1,003 metres, number 132 of the 282.
Photograph by Iain y, via Google
The hill
Sgurr Mor stands by Loch Quoich and Glen Kingie, and is one of three Munros of the name.
Its neighbours keep their distance. Sgurr nan Coireachan is about four kilometres to the south-west, Gairich is about six to the east, and Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr na Ciche are about six to the west.
Down in what the Mountain Bothies Association calls lonely Glen Kingie stands Kinbreack, a small bothy with an open fire. It was once the stable of a shepherd's cottage, and the Association renovated it in 1969.
- Stalking
- There are no restrictions on access to Kinbreack bothy in Glen Kingie, but the Mountain Bothies Association asks you to check with the estate before visiting in the stalking season. It gives the estate's number as 01397 712709.
- 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 NM 965 980. The Sgurr Mor of the Fannichs is at NH 203 718.
On the hill today
0° to 3°Rain on the summit, 1,003 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.
West wind to 10 mph, gusting 25
Rain, about 7 mm
Light from 7.55am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Some cloud−1° to 4° on top · 6 mph, gusts 15
Sun 18Cloudy−3° to 4° on top · 9 mph, gusts 20
Mon 19Cloudy−5° to 5° on top · 3 mph, gusts 11
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, West Highlands forecast, Met Office Northwest Highlands mountain forecast, Sgurr Mor, 1003m, 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.
No restrictions on access but please check with the estate before visiting the bothy during the stalking seasonThe Mountain Bothies Association, of Kinbreack, its bothy in Glen Kingie
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 NM 965 980
- 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 Sgurr Mor 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.
- Sgurr Mor on WalkhighlandsThe Walkhighlands list of Munros, with route descriptions and maps. Choose the Sgurr Mor of Loch Quoich, 1,003 metres, not the Fannichs hill of the same namewalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Kinbreack, Mountain Bothies AssociationA small bothy, once the stable of a shepherd's cottage in lonely Glen Kingie, with only limited bogwood for the fire, and that usually wetmountainbothies.org.ukA bothy↗
- Knoydart Deer Management GroupThe group's landholdings: it lists Kingie as a member, with information from Glen Kingie Forestknoydartdmg.deer-management.co.ukThe deer group↗
- Northwest Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast for the Northwest Highlands, three days ahead and written by forecasters, for the country north from Knoydart in the west and the Great Glen in the east. Read this and the West Highlands forecast, and let the area map settle which covers these hillsmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- West Highlands forecastThe neighbouring forecast, for the Western Highlands reached from Glenfinnan and south of itmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Met Office Northwest Highlands mountain forecastThe Met Office's mountain forecast for the Northwest Highlands, which takes in Knoydart, issued every afternoon before 6pmweather.metoffice.gov.ukMountain weather↗
- Sgurr Mor, 1003mThe 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: Sgurr nan Coireachan, Garbh Chioch Mhor, Gairich, Sgurr na Ciche. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Mountain Bothies Association's and the Knoydart 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.