Number 188 of 282 by height · Northwest Highlands
A' Mhaighdean
3,173 ft (967 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NH 007 749
- Latitude, longitude
- 57.71967, -5.34673
- Area
- Northwest Highlands
The walk up
No route line yet: the mapped paths near the summit do not join up with a car park. See Getting there below for the nearest place to park.
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 17:07. Not live.
- Weather
- Cloudy
- Temperature
- 36°F (2°C)
- Wind chill
- 32°F (0°C)
- Wind
- 4 mph (7 km/h) from the west
- Cloud cover
- 99%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 4,334 ft (1,321 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:33, 16:36
Getting there
By car
Car park with no name on the map. Parking charge not known. The nearest public car park to the summit, 5.0 mi (8.1 km) away in a straight line. Not necessarily the usual start.
Driving directions to the A' Mhaighdean car park57.64994,-5.38722
By train
Nearest station: Achnashellach, 12 mi (19 km) from the car park. Too far to walk in from.
By bus
Nearest bus stop on the map: Kinlochewe, Post Office, 4.5 mi (7.2 km) from the car park. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Public transport directionsBus and train times on Traveline Scotland
About A' Mhaighdean
A' Mhaighdean is one of the most remote Munros in northern Scotland, lying 8 miles north of Kinlochewe in the wild country beyond the Fionn Loch and Dubh Loch. The mountain is built of Lewisian gneiss, and part of its north-west ridge is capped with Torridonian sandstone.
It rises 1,453 ft (443 m) above the col that links it to higher ground, making it a Marilyn. Its closest neighbour is Ruadh Stac Mor, just 0.8 miles away, while Beinn Tarsuinn lies 2.4 miles off and Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, the nearest higher Munro, 2.9 miles. The true summit is a pointed boulder about 3 m (10 ft) south of the cairn.
Through the year
Hours of daylight on A' Mhaighdean in the middle of each month. The shorter the day, the earlier you need to start.
Stag stalking season, 1 July to 20 October. On many estates, walkers are asked to keep to set routes on stalking days: check the Scottish Outdoor Access Code site's Heading for the Scottish Hills service before you go.
Nearest Munros
| Munro | Height | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ruadh Stac Mor | 3,014 ft (919 m) | 0.8 mi (1.3 km) |
| Beinn Tarsuinn | 3,064 ft (934 m) | 2.4 mi (3.8 km) |
| Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair | 3,331 ft (1,015 m) | 2.9 mi (4.6 km) |
Common questions about A' Mhaighdean
- How high is A' Mhaighdean?
- A' Mhaighdean is 3,173 ft (967 m), number 188 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Northwest Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb A' Mhaighdean?
- We do not have a mapped route up A' Mhaighdean yet, because the paths near the summit are not joined up on the map. Plan it with a proper map and allow a long day.
- Where do you park for A' Mhaighdean?
- The nearest public car park to the summit is a car park with no name on the map.
- Can you climb A' Mhaighdean without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Achnashellach, 12 mi (19 km) from the start, and the nearest bus stop on the map is Kinlochewe, Post Office, 4.5 mi (7.2 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- When is the best time to climb A' Mhaighdean?
- Daylight runs from about 18 hours in mid June to 7 hours in mid December, so summer gives the most time. From 1 July to 20 October it is the stag stalking season, when some estates ask walkers to keep to set routes. In winter, snow and ice turn most Munros into mountaineering terrain.
A guide only. Mountain conditions change fast: carry a map and compass and know how to use them, and read the mountain forecast for the Northwest Highlands before you go.
Questions
Where can I get a proper mountain forecast?
Read the Mountain Weather Information Service forecast for the Northwest Highlands, written by forecasters for walkers and climbers. In winter, also read the Scottish Avalanche Information Service report for the area.
Where does the summit weather come from?
From MET Norway's forecast model, fetched for every Munro once an hour at the summit's own height. It is computer output for one point, not a forecast written for mountains, so treat it as a guide. The past hours are what the forecast said at the time. Wind chill, the freezing level and sunrise and sunset are worked out by this site from those figures; the freezing level assumes temperature drops steadily with height, so it can be well out when cold air sits in the glens.
Where do the car parks and bus stops come from?
From OpenStreetMap. Distances are straight lines, not the way you would walk or drive. A bus stop on the map says nothing about how often a bus calls: many Highland buses run a few times a day, some only on school days or by booking, so check Traveline Scotland first. The map cannot tell whether a car park is on a public road, so a remote one may only be reachable on foot or by train.
Where do the Gaelic names and stories come from?
From the hill's article on English Wikipedia and its Wikidata entry, put into a few words of our own. Meanings and pronunciations are only given where the article states them; many Gaelic hill names are old and their meaning is uncertain. Read the full article.
Where do the height and grid reference come from?
From the Database of British and Irish Hills, the surveyed list most baggers use. A' Mhaighdean is hill 1014 there.
Sources: Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata, Copernicus elevation data, Sentinel-2 cloudless imagery by EOX. All credits and licences.