Askival and Ainshval Route Information

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Askival & Ainshval

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

6473 ft

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

7.5 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

12.5 ml

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

39	Rum, Eigg & Muck

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

A long route in beautiful hills, with some steep ascents/descents and narrow ridges. Scrambling pitches can generally be bypassed as can the ascent of Trollaval. Ainshval rocks can be bypassed on scree.

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: Kinloch, Isle of Rum

Take Ferry from Mallaig to Kinloch on Rum.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 6,473 feet. Allow 7.5 hours to complete this 12.5 mile route.

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 entrance to Kinloch Castle
		NM40009970	Distance	Altitude 52 ft

1	Follow track then path SSW into Coire Dubh
		NM38909784	Distance 1.4 miles	Altitude 902 ft

2	Ascend SSW to Bealach Bairc-mheall (463m)
		NM38659705	Distance 0.5 miles	Altitude 1519 ft

3	Ascend SE on N ridge oh Hallival
		NM39099680	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 1745 ft

4	Continue ascent SE on ridge to Hallival (723m)
		NM39529624	Distance 0.4 miles	Altitude 2372 ft

5	Descend SSW to col
		NM39409594	Distance 0.2 miles	Altitude 1912 ft

6	Ascend S on narrow rocky ridge to summit of Askival
		NM39319522	Distance 0.5 miles	Altitude 2664 ft

7	Descend W to Bealach an Oir (457m)
		NM38589528	Distance 0.5 miles	Altitude 1499 ft

8	Ascend W to Trollaval (702m)
		NM37789517	Distance 0.5 miles	Altitude 2303 ft

9	Descend SSE to Bealach an Fhuarain (510m)
		NM37889485	Distance 0.2 miles	Altitude 1673 ft

10	Ascend S to summit of Ainshval
		NM37849433	Distance 0.4 miles	Altitude 2562 ft

11	Descend S to col
		NM37809382	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 2181 ft

12	Ascend SSW to top (759m)
		NM37689360	Distance 0.2 miles	Altitude 2490 ft

13	Descend S to col
		NM37749333	Distance 0.2 miles	Altitude 2339 ft

14	Ascend SSW to Sgurr nan Gillean (764m)
		NM37979306	Distance 0.2 miles	Altitude 2506 ft

15	Descend S on S ridge
		NM38149248	Distance 0.4 miles	Altitude 1601 ft

16	Descend E to path
		NM39099241	Distance 0.6 miles	Altitude 400 ft

17	Follow path N over Dibidil River ti steep slopes above cliffs
		NM40239306	Distance 1.0 miles	Altitude 272 ft

18	Continue NNE on path to Lochan Dubh
		NM41339530	Distance 1.6 miles	Altitude 721 ft

19	Return NNW to KInloch
		NM40009970	Distance 3.2 miles	Altitude 52 ft

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

North West Highlands
by MWIS (PDF format)

West Highlands
by Met Office

Sgurr Nan Eag
by Metcheck

Images of Askival & Ainshval

Ainshval from the summit of Askival, 3 July 2013.

© Brian Mcwilliam

Image by Brian Mcwilliam

Rum seen from the summit of Sgurr nan Eag on Skye. Askival is the prominent pyramid, with the Ainshval group to its right.

© David S Brown

Image by David S Brown

Askival (centre) with the Ainshval group to left and Isle of Muck in front. Taken from the Oban-Barra ferry between Ardnamurchan and Coll, 29th May 2013.

© David S Brown

Image by David S Brown

Askival seen from Hallival. Eigg can be seen on left also mountain goats in the foreground.

© Neil Halliday

Image by Neil Halliday

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 1 vote

Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating

Written by Alan Mcguigan on 30 Jan 2008:

I climbed the Rum Hills back in July 1999,an excellent days walking rewarded with 360 degree views all round, easy identifiable paths and simple scrambles involved. definitely worth a visit, as is Kinloch Castle itself,a very interesting and colourful history.

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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