Number 217 of 282 by height · Northwest Highlands
Sgurr Mhic Choinnich
Sgùrr MhicCoinnich
3,111 ft (948 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NG 450 210
- Latitude, longitude
- 57.20896, -6.22413
- Area
- Northwest Highlands
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 2.7 mi (4.4 km)
- Climb
- 2,654 ft (809 m)
- Estimated time up
- 2 h 15 min
- Start
- Car park near Glen Brittle
Route picked by computer, not yet checked on the hill
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 20:25. Not live.
- Weather
- Clear sky
- Temperature
- 35°F (2°C)
- Wind chill
- 30°F (−1°C)
- Wind
- 6 mph (10 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 10%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 4,019 ft (1,225 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:35, 16:41
The way up
From Car park near Glen Brittle, follow the path east all the way to the summit, 2.6 mi, climbing steeply from 50 ft to 2,700 ft. On the way you cross the Allt Coire na Banachdaich and pass Eas Mòr and Loch an Fhir-bhallaich on your right. The steepest part is between 1,900 ft and 2,700 ft, about 2.2 mi from the start. The mapped path ends about 530 ft short of the summit, so the last part to the top at 3,111 ft is over pathless ground.
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 Glen Brittle. Parking charge not known. This is where the walking route starts.
Driving directions to the Sgurr Mhic Choinnich car park57.21191,-6.28828
By train
Nearest station: Kyle of Lochalsh, 22 mi (35 km) from the car park. Too far to walk in from.
By bus
Nearest bus stop on the map: Campsite, 0.5 mi (0.9 km) from the car park. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Near the start
- Hostel: Glenbrittle Youth Hostel 0.6 mi (0.9 km)
- Café: Cuillin Coffee Co 0.6 mi (1.0 km)
- Campsite: Glenbrittle Campsite 0.7 mi (1.1 km)
- Toilets 0.7 mi (1.2 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 Mhic Choinnich
- In Gaelic
- Sgùrr MhicCoinnich
Sgùrr Mhic Choinnich is a Black Cuillin peak on Skye, built like its neighbours of gabbro, with very little vegetation. It was first climbed in 1887 by Charles Pilkington, James Heelis and Horace Walker with the guide John MacKenzie, after whom it is named. Sgurr Alasdair, the nearest higher Munro, is only 0.2 miles away, and Sgùrr Mhic Choinnich rises just 184 ft (56 m) above the col that links it to higher ground.
Its north ridge is an airy, exposed scramble, while the south face falls sheer to the bealach with Sgùrr Thearlaich. The easiest line up that face, King's Chimney, is a Very Difficult rock climb. Collie's Ledge, a hard-to-find terrace across the western flank, joins the north ridge and lets those traversing the ridge go round it.
The highest point is a rock about 6 m from the cairn.
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Sgurr Mhic Choinnich 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 Alasdair | 3,255 ft (992 m) | 0.2 mi (0.3 km) |
| Sgurr Dearg - Inaccessible Pinnacle | 3,234 ft (986 m) | 0.5 mi (0.8 km) |
| Sgurr Dubh Mor | 3,097 ft (944 m) | 0.6 mi (0.9 km) |
Part of a bigger day: 8 Munros in one go, Sgurr a' Mhadaidh, Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh, Sgurr na Banachdich, Sgurr Dearg - Inaccessible Pinnacle, Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor, Sgurr Alasdair.
Common questions about Sgurr Mhic Choinnich
- How high is Sgurr Mhic Choinnich?
- Sgurr Mhic Choinnich is 3,111 ft (948 m), number 217 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Northwest Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb Sgurr Mhic Choinnich?
- About 2 h 15 min up and 50 min back down by our route from Car park near Glen Brittle, before stops: 2.7 mi (4.4 km) each way with 2,654 ft (809 m) of climbing. That is one of the quicker Munros to climb. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Sgurr Mhic Choinnich?
- Our route starts at Car park near Glen Brittle.
- Can you climb Sgurr Mhic Choinnich without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Kyle of Lochalsh, 22 mi (35 km) from the start, and the nearest bus stop on the map is Campsite, 0.5 mi (0.9 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Sgurr Mhic Choinnich a hard Munro?
- By time and climbing, it is one of the quicker Munros to climb, with 2,654 ft (809 m) of ascent over 2.7 mi (4.4 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 Mhic Choinnich?
- Yes. Sgurr Mhic Choinnich can be linked with Sgurr a' Mhadaidh, Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh, Sgurr na Banachdich, Sgurr Dearg - Inaccessible Pinnacle, Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor, Sgurr Alasdair along the ridge, for 8 Munros in one long day. See Big days for the full plan.
- When is the best time to climb Sgurr Mhic Choinnich?
- 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.
- The mapped path stops 536 ft short of the summit; the last part is over open or rocky ground and is not drawn.
- Elevation data tops out at 2,700 ft against a surveyed 3,111 ft, so the climb figures are low.
- Path geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overpass API extract fetched 2026-10-24T20:07:29.136Z. 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 2 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. 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 Mhic Choinnich is hill 1248 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.