Number 96 of 282 by height · Northwest Highlands
Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg
Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg
3,399 ft (1,036 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NH 035 143
- Latitude, longitude
- 57.17785, -5.25218
- Area
- Northwest Highlands
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 3.7 mi (6.0 km)
- Climb
- 3,481 ft (1,061 m)
- Estimated time up
- 3 h
- Start
- Car park near Cluanie Lodge
Route picked by computer, not yet checked on the hill
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 17:07. Not live.
- Weather
- Fair
- Temperature
- 34°F (1°C)
- Wind chill
- 30°F (−1°C)
- Wind
- 4 mph (6 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 24%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 3,904 ft (1,190 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:31, 16:38
The way up
From Car park near Cluanie Lodge, follow the path north-west for 2.0 mi, climbing steeply from 730 ft to 3,200 ft. It then turns west for 1.1 mi, dropping from 3,200 ft to 2,800 ft. On the way you go over Sgurr an Fhuarail and go over Aonach Meadhoin (3,300 ft). It then turns north-west for the last 0.4 mi to the summit, climbing very steeply from 2,800 ft to 3,400 ft. The steepest part is between 1,450 ft and 2,500 ft, about 0.6 mi from the start. The summit is at 3,399 ft (1,036 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 Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg car park57.15599,-5.18301
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
- Toilets by the start
- Place to eat: Cluanie Inn by the start
- Toilets by the start
- Café: Landour Bakehouse by the start
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 Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg
- In Gaelic
- Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg
- Means
- Peak of the red gap
Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg is a Kintail Munro on the north side of Glen Shiel, the highest of the three Brothers of Kintail with Aonach Meadhoin and Sàileag, just east of the Five Sisters. Like its neighbours it has very steep grassy slopes to the south, falling about 2,800 ft (850 m) in little more than a mile to the glen floor, with craggy corries and ridges on the north side.
Four ridges meet here. The main ridge runs west to Sàileag and east to Aonach Meadhoin, while two more head north into the empty Kintail Forest. The hill sits on Scotland's main watershed. The River Croe rises at Loch a Glas Choire and flows about 7.5 miles to Loch Duich in the west, while the River Affric starts in Coire nan Eun and runs some 50 miles to the Beauly Firth in the east.
A large cairn on a rock marks the summit. It rises 1,020 ft (311 m) above the col linking it to higher ground, making it a Marilyn.
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aonach Meadhoin | 3,284 ft (1,001 m) | 0.9 mi (1.5 km) |
| Saileag | 3,136 ft (956 m) | 1.1 mi (1.8 km) |
| Ciste Dhubh | 3,219 ft (981 m) | 2.2 mi (3.5 km) |
Part of a bigger day: 3 Munros in one go, Saileag, Aonach Meadhoin.
Common questions about Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg
- How high is Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg?
- Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg is 3,399 ft (1,036 m), number 96 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Northwest Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg?
- About 3 h up and 1 h 40 min back down by our route from Car park near Cluanie Lodge, before stops: 3.7 mi (6.0 km) each way with 3,481 ft (1,061 m) of climbing. That is about average for a Munro. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg?
- Our route starts at Car park near Cluanie Lodge.
- Can you climb Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg 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, 0.0 mi (0.0 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg a hard Munro?
- By time and climbing, it is about average for a Munro, with 3,481 ft (1,061 m) of ascent over 3.7 mi (6.0 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.
- Can you climb other Munros with Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg?
- Yes. Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg can be linked with Saileag, Aonach Meadhoin along the ridge, for 3 Munros in one long day. See Big days for the full plan.
- What does Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg mean?
- In Gaelic it is Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg. It is usually translated as "peak of the red gap".
- When is the best time to climb Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg?
- 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.
- Drops 882 ft on the way up, so it may cross another top or a bealach first.
- Goes over Aonach Meadhoin on the way.
- Path geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overpass API extract fetched 2026-10-24T20:03:25.525Z. Start: the public car park nearest the usual start named on Wikipedia (Cluanie Inn, found by "Strath Cluanie" on OpenStreetMap) with the shortest mapped-path route to the summit.
- 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, 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. Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg is hill 821 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.