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
Sron a' Choire Ghairbh
A Munro of 936 metres, number 238 of the 282.
Photograph by Scott mcginty, via Google
The hill
Sron a' Choire Ghairbh is the higher of the two Munros above Loch Lochy in the Great Glen.
Meall na Teanga, the other, is about two kilometres to the south.
The pair stand well apart from everything else. The next nearest Munro, Beinn Teallach, is more than sixteen kilometres away.
Clunes Forest runs along the western shore of Loch Lochy below them, and Forestry and Land Scotland says its ground there climbs from the loch shore to the summit of Meall na Teanga. It calls these forests popular for hill-walking, and the Great Glen Way passes through them.
- The ground
- Forestry and Land Scotland says its Clunes and Loch Arkaig forests, below these hills, are popular for hill-walking, and that steep ground dominates their east and south-east.
- Stalking
- Hinds are stalked from 21 October to 15 February. Watch for signs on the ground and follow reasonable advice from land managers.
- 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 NN 222 945.
On the hill today
0° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 936 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.
West wind to 11 mph, gusting 23
Rain, about 4 mm
Light from 7.54am to 6.16pm, ten hours
Sat 17Cloudy0° to 4° on top · 4 mph, gusts 10
Sun 18Some cloud−2° to 4° on top · 10 mph, gusts 21
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 5° on top · 4 mph, gusts 7
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, West Highlands forecast, Met Office Northwest Highlands forecast, Sron a' Choire Ghairbh, 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.
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 222 945
- 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 Sron a' Choire Ghairbh 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.
- Sron a' Choire Ghairbh on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with maps, for the start and the way to the summitwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Clunes and Loch Arkaig land management planForestry and Land Scotland's plan for the forest below these hills, which names Meall na Teangaforestryandland.gov.scotThe forest↗
- Deer stalking, from Mountaineering ScotlandWhen stags and hinds are stalked, and how to check before you gomountaineering.scotStalking↗
- ThinkWINTERMountaineering Scotland on the hills under snowmountaineering.scotWinter↗
- The 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. Its area map shows which forecast covers this hillmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- West Highlands forecastThe neighbouring forecast, reaching north to Glen Spean. Read it too if the area map puts the hill theremwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Met Office Northwest Highlands forecastThe Met Office's mountain forecast for the Northwest Highlandsweather.metoffice.gov.ukMountain weather↗
- Sron a' Choire GhairbhThe 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: Meall na Teanga, Beinn Teallach, Spidean Mialach, Creag a' Mhaim. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Forestry and Land Scotland's and Mountaineering Scotland'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.