Number 165 of 282 by height · Northwest Highlands
Druim Shionnach
3,232 ft (985 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NH 074 084
- Latitude, longitude
- 57.12681, -5.18284
- Area
- Northwest Highlands
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 5.8 mi (9.3 km)
- Climb
- 2,795 ft (852 m)
- Estimated time up
- 3 h 15 min
- Start
- Car park near Cluanie Lodge
Route picked by computer, not yet checked on the hill
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 21:21. Not live.
- Weather
- Clear sky
- Temperature
- 32°F (0°C)
- Wind
- 2 mph (3 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 5%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 3,232 ft (985 m), below the summit
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:30, 16:37
The way up
From the car park near Cluanie Lodge, follow the road south-east for 0.8 mi, almost level. On the way you cross the River Cluanie by a bridge and pass Loch Cluanie on your left. It then turns south-east for 0.4 mi, almost level. Then follow the track south-east for 1.4 mi, climbing gently from 850 ft to 1,200 ft. On the way you cross the Allt Giubhais. It then turns south for 1.1 mi, climbing gently from 1,200 ft to 1,350 ft. On the way you cross a bridge and the Allt Giubhais. Then follow the path south-west for 0.5 mi, climbing very steeply from 1,350 ft to 2,300 ft. On the way you cross the Allt Giubhais. It then turns north-west for the last 1.4 mi to the summit, climbing steadily from 2,300 ft to 3,250 ft. On the way you go over Creag a' Mhaim (3,100 ft). The steepest part is between 1,550 ft and 2,600 ft, about 3.7 mi from the start. The summit is at 3,232 ft (985 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 Cluanie Lodge. Parking charge not known. This is where the walking route starts.
Driving directions to the Druim Shionnach car park57.15578,-5.17789
By train
Nearest station: Stromeferry, 19 mi (31 km) from the car park. Too far to walk in from.
By bus
Nearest bus stop on the map: Inn, right by the car park. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Near the start
- Place to eat: Cluanie Inn 0.2 mi (0.3 km)
- Toilets 0.2 mi (0.3 km)
- Café: Landour Bakehouse 0.2 mi (0.3 km)
- Toilets 0.2 mi (0.3 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 Druim Shionnach
Druim Shionnach is a Highland Munro ranked 165th of 282 by height. It rises 332 ft (101 m) above the col linking it to higher ground, and its nearest higher neighbour is Aonach air Chrith, 1.4 miles away.
Creag a' Mhaim lies just 0.9 miles off, with Maol Chinn-dearg 2.6 miles away. It has one subsidiary top, Druim Shionnach West Top, and a cairn marks the summit.
Tops on Druim Shionnach
One lower summit in the Munro tables, not counted as separate Munros. Keen baggers tick these too.
| Top | Height | From the summit |
|---|---|---|
| Druim Shionnach West TopNH 062 082 | 3,069 ft (935 m) | 0.7 mi (1.2 km) |
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Druim Shionnach 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Creag a' Mhaim | 3,104 ft (946 m) | 0.9 mi (1.5 km) |
| Aonach air Chrith | 3,345 ft (1,020 m) | 1.4 mi (2.3 km) |
| Maol Chinn-dearg | 3,216 ft (980 m) | 2.6 mi (4.2 km) |
Common questions about Druim Shionnach
- How high is Druim Shionnach?
- Druim Shionnach is 3,232 ft (985 m), number 165 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Northwest Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb Druim Shionnach?
- About 3 h 15 min up and 2 h back down by our route from the car park near Cluanie Lodge, before stops: 5.8 mi (9.3 km) each way with 2,795 ft (852 m) of climbing. That is about average for a Munro. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Druim Shionnach?
- Our route starts at the car park near Cluanie Lodge.
- Can you climb Druim Shionnach without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Stromeferry, 19 mi (31 km) from the start, and the nearest bus stop on the map is Inn, 0.2 mi (0.3 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Druim Shionnach a hard Munro?
- By time and climbing, it is about average for a Munro, with 2,795 ft (852 m) of ascent over 5.8 mi (9.3 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.
- When is the best time to climb Druim Shionnach?
- 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.
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.
- Goes over Creag a' Mhaim on the way.
- Path geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overpass API extract fetched 2026-10-24T20:03:25.525Z. 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 15 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.
Where do the height and grid reference come from?
From the Database of British and Irish Hills, the surveyed list most baggers use. Druim Shionnach is hill 692 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.