Number 52 of 282 by height · West Highlands
Sgurr Choinnich Mor
Sgùrr Choinnich Mòr
3,589 ft (1,094 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NN 227 714
- Latitude, longitude
- 56.80044, -4.90397
- Area
- West Highlands
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 7.5 mi (12 km)
- Climb
- 3,901 ft (1,189 m)
- Estimated time up
- 4 h 25 min
- Start
- Car park near Inverroy
Route picked by computer, not yet checked on the hill
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 17:07. Not live.
- Weather
- Fair
- Temperature
- 35°F (2°C)
- Wind chill
- 32°F (0°C)
- Wind
- 4 mph (7 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 19%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 4,498 ft (1,371 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:28, 16:37
The way up
From Car park near Inverroy, follow the road south-east for 0.3 mi, almost level. Then follow the track south for 3.3 mi, climbing gently from 260 ft to 850 ft. On the way you cross the Allt a' Bhalbhain. Then follow the path south for the last 3.6 mi to the summit, climbing steadily from 850 ft to 3,600 ft. On the way you go over Beinn na Socaich (3,300 ft) and go over Stob Coire Easain (3,550 ft). The steepest part is between 1,850 ft and 2,700 ft, about 4.5 mi from the start. The summit is at 3,589 ft (1,094 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 Inverroy. Parking charge not known. This is where the walking route starts.
Driving directions to the Sgurr Choinnich Mor car park56.88752,-4.87688
By train
Nearest station: Roy Bridge, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from the car park.
By bus
Nearest bus stop on the map: Roy Bridge, 1.3 mi (2.2 km) from the car park. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Near the start
- Shop: Roy Bridge Stores 1.3 mi (2.1 km)
- Hostel: Grey Corries Lodge 1.4 mi (2.2 km)
- Pub: Roy Bar 1.4 mi (2.2 km)
- Bothy or hut: Riasg 1.4 mi (2.2 km)
- Pub: Stronlossit Inn 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
- Campsite: Bunroy Caravan & Camping Park 1.6 mi (2.5 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 Choinnich Mor
- In Gaelic
- Sgùrr Choinnich Mòr
Sgurr Choinnich Mor is a Highland Munro of 3,589 ft (1,094 m), ranked 52nd of the 282. Its nearest higher neighbour, Stob Coire an Laoigh, is 1 mile away, and it rises 522 ft (159 m) above the col that links it to higher ground, enough to make it a Marilyn. Aonach Beag (1.9 miles) and Binnein Beag (2.3 miles) are the other Munros close by. Sgurr Choinnich Beag is listed as its top.
A cairn marks the summit.
Tops on Sgurr Choinnich Mor
One lower summit in the Munro tables, not counted as separate Munros. Keen baggers tick these too.
| Top | Height | From the summit |
|---|---|---|
| Sgurr Choinnich BeagNN 220 710 | 3,159 ft (963 m) | 0.5 mi (0.8 km) |
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Sgurr Choinnich Mor 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stob Coire an Laoigh | 3,661 ft (1,116 m) | 1.0 mi (1.6 km) |
| Aonach Beag | 4,049 ft (1,234 m) | 1.9 mi (3.1 km) |
| Binnein Beag | 3,094 ft (943 m) | 2.3 mi (3.7 km) |
Part of a bigger day: 4 Munros in one go, Stob Coire an Laoigh, Stob Choire Claurigh, Stob Ban.
Common questions about Sgurr Choinnich Mor
- How high is Sgurr Choinnich Mor?
- Sgurr Choinnich Mor is 3,589 ft (1,094 m), number 52 of the 282 Munros by height, in the West Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb Sgurr Choinnich Mor?
- About 4 h 25 min up and 2 h 45 min back down by our route from Car park near Inverroy, before stops: 7.5 mi (12 km) each way with 3,901 ft (1,189 m) of climbing. That is one of the longer Munro days. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Sgurr Choinnich Mor?
- Our route starts at Car park near Inverroy.
- Can you climb Sgurr Choinnich Mor without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Roy Bridge, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from the start, and the nearest bus stop on the map is Roy Bridge, 1.3 mi (2.2 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Sgurr Choinnich Mor a hard Munro?
- By time and climbing, it is one of the longer Munro days, with 3,901 ft (1,189 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.
- Can you climb other Munros with Sgurr Choinnich Mor?
- Yes. Sgurr Choinnich Mor can be linked with Stob Coire an Laoigh, Stob Choire Claurigh, Stob Ban along the ridge, for 4 Munros in one long day. See Big days for the full plan.
- When is the best time to climb Sgurr Choinnich Mor?
- 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.
- Path geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overpass API extract fetched 2026-10-24T19:57:37.957Z. 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 25 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 Choinnich Mor is hill 296 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.