Number 190 of 282 by height · West Highlands
Ben More
A' Bheinn Mhòr
3,169 ft (966 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NM 525 330
- Latitude, longitude
- 56.42485, -6.01405
- Area
- West Highlands
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 5.1 mi (8.3 km)
- Climb
- 3,350 ft (1,021 m)
- Estimated time up
- 3 h 20 min
- Start
- Car park near Derrynaculen
Route picked by computer, not yet checked on the hill
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 17:07. Not live.
- Weather
- Fair
- Temperature
- 37°F (3°C)
- Wind chill
- 31°F (−1°C)
- Wind
- 7 mph (12 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 21%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 4,482 ft (1,366 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:31, 16:43
The way up
From Car park near Derrynaculen, follow the road north-west for 0.5 mi, almost level. On the way you pass Coladoir River on your right. Then follow the path north for 2.4 mi, climbing gently from 50 ft to 1,050 ft. On the way you cross the Allt Teanga Brideig. It then turns north-west for 0.5 mi, climbing steadily from 1,050 ft to 1,350 ft. On the way you reach the bealach of Carn Cul Righ Albainn. It then turns west for the last 1.6 mi to the summit, climbing steeply from 1,350 ft to 3,150 ft. The steepest part is between 2,150 ft and 3,150 ft, about 4.6 mi from the start. The summit is at 3,169 ft (966 m).
Written from the map, not from walking it. Paths on the ground can differ, so carry a map and compass.See it in 3D.
Getting there
By car
Car park near Derrynaculen. Free to park. This is where the walking route starts.
Driving directions to the Ben More car park56.39095,-5.97917
By train
Nearest station: Oban, 19 mi (31 km) from the car park. Too far to walk in from.
By bus
No bus stop on the map within 5 miles of the car park. The nearest is Craignure ferry Terminal, at, 12 mi (19 km) away. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Ben More is on Mull: take the CalMac ferry from Oban to Craignure first.
Near the start
- Shop: Pennyghael Stores & Post Office 0.9 mi (1.4 km)
From OpenStreetMap. Places close or change hours, especially in winter, so check before you rely on one.
Public transport directionsBus and train times on Traveline Scotland
About Ben More
- In Gaelic
- A' Bheinn Mhòr
- Means
- Great mountain
Ben More stands near the centre of Mull above the shores of Loch na Keal, the island's highest mountain. It rises 3,169 ft (966 m) from sea level as the highest point of its land mass, and the nearest higher Munro, Ben Cruachan, is 33.7 miles away.
Around 60 million years ago the region was volcanically active, and Ben More is the remnant of a volcano from that time, the same period that produced the rock formations of Staffa and the basalt columns of The Castles on Ulva. A steep, rocky ridge links it to the peak of A' Chioch.
On a clear day the summit view takes in the Sound of Mull, Staffa, Ulva, the Ross of Mull and Iona. The highest point is an OS rivet in the centre of a large circular stone shelter.
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Ben More 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Beinn Sgulaird | 3,074 ft (937 m) | 34 mi (54 km) |
| Ben Cruachan | 3,698 ft (1,127 m) | 34 mi (54 km) |
| Sgorr Dhonuill (Beinn a' Bheithir) | 3,284 ft (1,001 m) | 35 mi (56 km) |
Common questions about Ben More
- How high is Ben More?
- Ben More is 3,169 ft (966 m), number 190 of the 282 Munros by height, in the West Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb Ben More?
- About 3 h 20 min up and 1 h 45 min back down by our route from Car park near Derrynaculen, before stops: 5.1 mi (8.3 km) each way with 3,350 ft (1,021 m) of climbing. That is about average for a Munro. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Ben More?
- Our route starts at Car park near Derrynaculen. It is free to park.
- Can you climb Ben More without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Oban, 19 mi (31 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Ben More a hard Munro?
- By time and climbing, it is about average for a Munro, with 3,350 ft (1,021 m) of ascent over 5.1 mi (8.3 km). Like every Munro it reaches over 3,000 ft, where the weather can be far worse than at the car park, so take a map and compass and check the mountain forecast.
- What does Ben More mean?
- In Gaelic it is A' Bheinn Mhòr. It is usually translated as "great mountain".
- When is the best time to climb Ben More?
- 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 West Highlands before you go.
Questions
Where can I get a proper mountain forecast?
Read the Mountain Weather Information Service forecast for the West 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.
How was this route drawn?
It follows footpaths and tracks mapped on OpenStreetMap, from a public car park to the summit, with heights from Copernicus elevation data. A computer picked the start as the car park with the quickest mapped way up, counting the climbing as well as the distance. Nobody has checked it on the hill yet, so it may not be the usual way up, and the path may be faint or missing on the ground. A line on a map is not a description of the ground.
- Walks 0.3 mi along a main road before the path starts.
- Path geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overpass API extract fetched 2026-10-24T20:08:03.500Z. Start chosen automatically: the public car park on a public road with the shortest mapped-path route to the summit (busy roads and T4 paths weighted against).
- Elevation: Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (© DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA), sampled every 50 m, 3-sample median, 5 m hysteresis on ascent.
- Summit position: Database of British and Irish Hills v18 (CC BY 4.0).
Built 2026-10-25.
How is the time up worked out?
With Naismith's rule, the standard hill-walking estimate: an hour for every 3.1 miles (5 km), plus an hour for every 1,969 ft (600 m) of climbing, with no stops. For this route that gives about 3 h 20 min, one way. It ignores rough ground, weather, stops and the walk back down, so most people take longer.
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. Ben More is hill 1301 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.