Hiking Highlight
Recommended by 5 hikers
There are many eye-catching mountains in the wilderness of north west Scotland and when you set foot on the hikes up Ben More Coigach, you’ll quickly fall under the spell of its unique features. A table-topped mountain rising to 2,438 feet (743 m), it can be seen from miles around and its coastal position offers hikers outstanding views.
Just north of Ullapool, accessing the hiking trails up Ben More Coigach usually requires driving around the entire mountain to the parking near Culnacraig. The peak rises abruptly from the coast with a bulk of rock-strewn heather moorland and plenty of steep sections. Ascending first to Garbh Choireachan where the spectacular vistas begin, enjoy an airy, exhilarating ridge walk to Ben More Coigach’s summit. Depending on your path of ascent, some sections will require scrambling.
It’s the phenomenal Summer Isles that hog the attention from this mountain, scattered about the mouth of Loch Broom. From the Isle of Lewis to the dramatic Assynt landscape, every direction holds magic.
Winter conditions require experience and equipment but in good weather, this is a fantastic, if strenuous, expedition.
Leave Ullapool heading north and you can’t miss Ben Mor Coigach. Its long, flat-topped form over to the east blocks the sea view and some of the sky. The chances are that you’ll be driving past on the way to the Assynt icons further north, and Ben Mor Coigach doesn’t look all that special from the car. But it is. Fluted prows of rock, steep scrambly ridgelines, incredible elevated ocean views, and a wild and spectacular coastal path all make it a mountain deserving of time and attention.
Ben Weeks, Trail magazine senior writer
July 7, 2020
The ascent of Ben More Coigach over Garbh Coireachan has to be one of the most stunning hikes in this region. You appear to be walking straight up from the sea. The path is missing in places across the moor but once on the ridge the route is generally obvious, steep and a little challenging in places. The views over Little Loch Broom and the Summer Isles are stunning. There are crazy sandstone features on the ridge.
June 7, 2024
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