Ardnamurchan is another ‘off the beaten track’ destination which wasn’t developed until the late nineties. Although no longer the preserve of locals it does take some effort to reach. For those prepared to make the extra 2 hours plus drive from Glencoe the rewards are perfect rock, fantastic climbing and amazing landscapes.

Ardnamurchan - Image Gallery

Geology

The Ring Crags are arranged around the inner edge of a giant volcanic crater. The shape of the crater isn’t immediately obvious from the ground but it can be easily seen on an OS 1:25000 map (or the Google map below)

The Climbing

The rock is gabbro and similar to that found on Skye. Many of routes rely on good face climbing technique and confident foot work. The friction is superb but it can take a couple of pitches to really start trusting your feet and to realise that desperate looking blank faces can be climbed at relatively easy grades. Most of the routes are well protected although there are a few runout sections of face climbing, usually from good gear.

There are crags right around the volcanic ring but the most popular climbing is situated on the northern edge; Meall Sanna, Meall Clach an Daraich, Sgurr nan Gabhar, Meall an Fhir-Eoin and Meall Meadhoin. Approach times range from 15 mins to an hour.

Guide Books

Gary Latter’s Scottish Rock Volumne 1 covers the most popular routes while the SMC Glencoe Guide offers a far better coverage of the available climbing.

Where to Stay

Apart from wild camping there are a couple of options close to food and beer: The Kilochoan House Hotel allows camping in its grounds. It has a small bar where you can also get meals. 01972 510200. The Sonachan Hotel offers a good range of bar meals and has a well equipped bunk house at £15/night. Rooms are divided into twin or larger so it is possible to book a private room. 01972 510 211

Provisions

There is a small shop and post office at Kilochoan.

Links to other areas

The Kilochoan - Tobermory ferry means that you can take in the Ardnanmurchan crags as part of a Mull tour.

Other Stuff

There is a beautiful sandy beach just down the road from the ring complex at Sanna.The Lighthouse is worth a visit at Ardnamurchan Point.

View Ardnamurchan Climbing in a larger map