📌 Garve, Highland
★★★★
Ben Wyvis is easily the highest mountain in the eastern Highlands northwards of the Great Glen. It gives its name to a whole sprawling massif of high plateaux, with broad ridges spidering out either side of deep coires. Despite one possible translation of Ben Wyvis as “Hill of Terror”, this summit should hold no fears in good weather; the quickest, most obvious ascent route is by a good path, also making it one of the more popular Munros. From the top, the view encapsulates hills and ranges as diverse as the Cairngorms, Cuillins and Ben Nevis, as well as much of the Black Isle with Aberdeenshire beyond… unless it’s foggy, as on our visit!
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish on the A835 0.5 mi south of Garbat / 4 mi north of Garve
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NH 410671
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.665809,-4.666826
❌ Infrequent buses pass the start, but there is no official stop
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 14 km / 9 mi | ▲ 940 m | ⌛ 4.5-5.5 hr
Features: △ Glas Leathad Mor / Ben Wyvis (1046 m, Munro)
⬤ Tough | Excellent paths, steep on ascent to An Cabar, then faint and eroded on plateau.
Download file for GPS➡️ Out-and-back walk: start – An Cabar via Allt a’ Bhealaich Mhoir – Glas Leathad Mor – return by outward route
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Red kite circling over car park, two pairs of ptarmigan on plateau.
Weather: Mostly overcast with the occasional sunny spell lower down but fog above about 900 m, with occasional drizzly showers. High winds on plateau with ice crystals freezing onto clothing. Huge snow cornices on eastern edge of plateau, clear of path.
May 2015
