Number 78 of 282 by height · Northwest Highlands
Sgurr a' Chaorachain
Sgùrr a' Chaorachain
3,455 ft (1,053 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NH 087 447
- Latitude, longitude
- 57.45252, -5.18931
- Area
- Northwest Highlands
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 7.5 mi (12 km)
- Climb
- 3,802 ft (1,159 m)
- Estimated time up
- 4 h 20 min
- Start
- Achnashellach forest
Route picked by computer, not yet checked on the hill
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 21:21. Not live.
- Weather
- Fair
- Temperature
- 32°F (0°C)
- Wind
- 3 mph (5 km/h) from the southwest
- Cloud cover
- 16%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 3,455 ft (1,053 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:31, 16:36
The way up
From Achnashellach forest, follow the track east for 2.0 mi, climbing gently from 330 ft to 930 ft. On the way you cross the River Carron by a bridge. It then turns south for 1.4 mi, almost level. Then follow the path south-east for 0.5 mi, climbing steadily from 890 ft to 1,200 ft. On the way you cross the Allt a' Chaonais. It then turns south-west for 1.3 mi, climbing steadily from 1,200 ft to 1,900 ft. It then turns south-east for 0.5 mi, climbing gently from 1,900 ft to 2,100 ft. On the way you reach the bealach of Bealach Bhearnais. It then turns east for the last 1.6 mi to the summit, climbing steeply from 2,100 ft to 3,450 ft. On the way you go over Sgùrr Choinnich (3,300 ft). The steepest part is between 2,100 ft and 3,150 ft, about 5.7 mi from the start. The summit is at 3,455 ft (1,053 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
Achnashellach forest. Free to park. This is where the walking route starts.
Driving directions to the Sgurr a' Chaorachain car park57.49123,-5.27228
By train
Nearest station: Achnashellach, 2.4 mi (3.8 km) from the car park.
By bus
No bus stop on the map within 5 miles of the car park. The nearest is Railway Station, 7.5 mi (12 km) away. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Near the start
- Hostel: Gerry's Hostel by the start
- Campsite: Achnashellach Campsite 1.8 mi (2.9 km)
- Toilets 1.8 mi (2.9 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 Sgurr a' Chaorachain
- In Gaelic
- Sgùrr a' Chaorachain
Sgùrr a' Chaorachain is a remote Wester Ross Munro of 3,455 ft (1,053 m), near Glen Carron at the head of Loch Monar. Sgurr Choinnich is its close neighbour at 0.7 miles, with Lurg Mhor and Maoile Lunndaidh each 3 miles off. Bidean an Eoin Deirg is listed as its top.
It rises 1,864 ft (568 m) above the col linking it to higher ground, so it is also a Marilyn, and the nearest higher Munro, An Riabhachan, is 7 miles away. A broken trig point marks the summit.
Tops on Sgurr a' Chaorachain
One lower summit in the Munro tables, not counted as separate Munros. Keen baggers tick these too.
| Top | Height | From the summit |
|---|---|---|
| Bidean an Eoin DeirgNH 103 443 | 3,434 ft (1,047 m) | 1.0 mi (1.7 km) |
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Sgurr a' Chaorachain 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sgurr Choinnich | 3,279 ft (999 m) | 0.7 mi (1.1 km) |
| Lurg Mhor | 3,238 ft (987 m) | 3.0 mi (4.8 km) |
| Maoile Lunndaidh | 3,297 ft (1,005 m) | 3.0 mi (4.9 km) |
Common questions about Sgurr a' Chaorachain
- How high is Sgurr a' Chaorachain?
- Sgurr a' Chaorachain is 3,455 ft (1,053 m), number 78 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Northwest Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb Sgurr a' Chaorachain?
- About 4 h 20 min up and 2 h 45 min back down by our route from Achnashellach forest, before stops: 7.5 mi (12 km) each way with 3,802 ft (1,159 m) of climbing. That is one of the longer Munro days. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Sgurr a' Chaorachain?
- Our route starts at Achnashellach forest. It is free to park.
- Can you climb Sgurr a' Chaorachain without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Achnashellach, 2.4 mi (3.8 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Sgurr a' Chaorachain a hard Munro?
- By time and climbing, it is one of the longer Munro days, with 3,802 ft (1,159 m) of ascent over 7.5 mi (12 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 Sgurr a' Chaorachain?
- 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 Sgurr Choinnich 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 4 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.
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' Chaorachain is hill 885 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.