Gulvain or Gaor Bheinn Route Information

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Gulvain or Gaor Bheinn

Quick Facts

This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.

Total Ascent

1400 m

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time

7 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

21.77 km

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

You can click on the map name to purchase the map for £6.29 including postage which is one of the cheapest prices we have found.

OS Landranger Maps Required

40	Mallaig & Glenfinnan, Loch Shiel
41	Ben Nevis, Fort William & Glen Coe

Only £6.29 (£13.49 Laminated) from

A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

Notes

Moderate route with steep ascent on grass leading to rocky top. Cycling possible on approach track.

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

Travel Information

Head to: Fort William

From Fort William (A82) travel N 2km then turn right onto A830 and travel W 18km. Stop at junction with A861.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 1,400 metres. Allow 7 hours to complete this 21.77 km route.

In winter months please check the local snow conditions at sais.gov.uk.

The hillphones service can inform you of stalking activities in the area.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

Route Information

Waypoint Detail

	Start from junction of A830 road and A861 road at the head of Loch Eil
		NM95987935	Distance	Altitude 15 m

1	Follow track N to bridge and cross to the west of the Fionn Lighe river
		NM96318130	Distance 2.15 km	Altitude 65 m

2	Follow path NE to junction
		NM96718226	Distance 1.15 km	Altitude 82 m

3	Take path NE through Gleann Fionnlighe
		NM99178420	Distance 3.85 km	Altitude 190 m

4	Shortly after the path turns NW into Coire Reidh, ascend NNE to 855m top
		NM99718582	Distance 1.73 km	Altitude 855 m

5	Continue N to south top 961m with trig point
		NM99668646	Distance 0.66 km	Altitude 961 m

6	Bear NNE to summit of Gulvain
		NN00288757	Distance 1.34 km	Altitude 987 m

7	Reverse route to return
		NM95987935	Distance 10.88 km	Altitude 15 m

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

West Highlands
by MWIS (PDF format)

West Highlands
by Met Office

Ben Nevis
by Metcheck

Images of Gulvain or Gaor Bheinn

Gulvain from the Sgurr Thuilm (Corryhully Horseshoe).

Image by Allan Brown

Stitched panorama of Gulvain from the summit of Beinn nan Uamhachan. February 2010.

Image by David McSporran

Gulvain from the approach up Gleann Fionnlighe.

Image by Chris Bowles

The steep South slopes leading to Gulvain's South top.

Image by Donald Morrison

Route Area Map

Legend

Munro

Corbett

Graham

English/Welsh Top

Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

Where to Stay

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sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

Rating & Reviews

Rating & Reviews

Rated:

from 4 votes

Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating

Written by Sandra Monaghan on 27 Oct 2010:

25/10/10 Take a bike, can cycle the whole way to the bottom of assent ridge, much further than maps/guide books suggest, 7k free wheel back to the start!

Written by David Harbottle on 18 Feb 2008:

Save yourself 10 miles walking and use a bike up this easily cyclable glen.

Written by Mike Watson on 06 Jan 2008:

Did this in winter conditions Jan 2008. Good landrover track that carries on for much further than the OS map implies. Followed by obvious walkers track for a lot of the slog uphill. Ridge between the 3 tops a bit indistinct at times and very easy to go astray so be careful in poor vis. We got a lift along the last few km of track from the stalker to round things off nicely!

Written by Fiona Masson on 16 Oct 2006:

Climbed 14.10.06. Good walk in. Bike would be useful right to the bottom of the hill.Great path all the way to the top. Unfortunately last 200m in cloud but very warm for time of year. Gulvain "the noisy hill" very appropriate as heard lots of stags throughout walk. Saw golden eagle. Very pleasant hill. Dont let the 4hr guide book walk time put you off. Would do again!!

Written by Peter Sinclair on 23 Feb 2006:

Climbed on the 22nd February 2006. A long but easy walk-in of 7.5 km before the climb starts. Long hard pull to southern top at 855m. After gaining the trig point at 961m you are then rewarded with a great snow covered ridge walk to summit at 987m. Views were amongst the best I have seen through 360 degrees, all the way to the hills of Harris.

Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.

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