Ben Nevis and Glen Coe rock climbing in the Western Highlands

Ben Nevis, Glen Nevis and Glen Coe are probably 3 of the most famous climbing areas in Scotland, and hence are very popular.  However in this area of western Scotland there are other places to climb away from the crowds, such as the Isle of Mull, Ardgour and Ardnamurchan.

Ben Nevis is Scotland’s highest mountain at 1,344m high, and its northern face drops vertically for over 600m.  It is a well-known as a winter climbing destination, though in the summer it also offers excellent and varied trad rock climbing on Rhyolite rock, with many long multi-pitch routes ranging from Moderate to E10.

Some of the easier routes follow great ridges to the top of Ben Nevis and are more Alpine in stature.  These range from Castle Ridge (Moderate) at 270m long, through to Tower Ridge (Diff) at 600m long that is considered as the most scenic and interesting way to the summit of Ben Nevis.

Carn Dearg Buttress is considered the best and cleanest crag on Ben Nevis. Here there are many classic multi-pitch routes around 200m long on excellent clean rock, from Severe to E6 that pass through a series of slabs and overlaps.

There are many more buttresses scattered across the summit plateau including The Orion Face flanking North East Buttress that contains the longest face climb on mainland UK at 425m long, called The Long Climb, VS 4c.

The Ben Nevis Climbing Guidebook covers all the rock and ice climbing on Ben Nevis, along with a wider area from Aonach Mor to Creag Meagaidh and the Central Highlands. The Wired Scottish Rock Climbs guidebook also covers a selection of routes on Ben Nevis.  Buy rock climbing guidebooks for Ben Nevis from our shop.

Mountain Rock is an inspiring guidebook detailing 100 of the best mountaineering rock climbs graded between Moderate and Very Severe in Great Britain.  It includes some classic mountaineering routes on Ben Nevis and in Glen Coe.

Glen Nevis is one of the most beautiful glens in Scotland that is accessed from Fort William and has long been at the forefront of Scottish climbing.  In a compact 4km long central section there are over 70 crags that flank the lower slopes of Ben Nevis on either side of the glen.  Here there are a wide variety of routes on offer, with many of the crags facing south and are quick drying.  Add in excellent quality schist rock, short approaches (5 to 40 minutes), magnificent mountainous surroundings, a spectacular waterfall, a unique gorge, and it all adds up to the best outcrop climbing venue in Scotland.

Glen Nevis is also home to best bouldering venue in western Scotland, with thousands of problems ranging from easy (VB) to some very hard V14s, with 100’s of problems in the easy to mid-range bracket.  The bouldering problems are scattered throughout the glen with some only 1 minute from the road to a myriad of blocks amongst the crags and woodland on either side of the Polldubh waterfall.

The definitive guidebook for the rock climbing in Glen Nevis is called Highland Outcrops South Guidebook that is a fully modern guidebook with colour photo topos.  The Scottish Rock Volume 1 guidebook, and the Wired Scottish Rock climbs guidebook both describe a selection of the best routes in Glen Nevis. The best bouldering guidebook for Glen Nevis is Boulder Scotland, whilst Boulder Britain has a selection of the best boulder problems at Glen Nevis.  Buy rock climbing guidebooks for Glen Nevis from our shop.

The narrow valley of Glen Coe is one of the most famous features of Scotland’s wild highland landscape.  It is also one of Scotland’s premier climbing areas with some of the very best routes of their type in the country, and is justifiably popular.  Rock climbing at Glen Coe is all about long multi-pitch trad routes between 50m and 200m long in fantastic positions.  Glen Coe has many classic routes, with the 2 main climbing areas being Buachaille Etive Mor and The Three Sisters.

Buachaille Etive Mor is one of the most impressive mountain crags in Scotland, with its distinctive conical shape home to near vertical walls and buttresses that appeal to the climber.  The Buachaille is host to numerous classic routes mainly in the VS to E2 grade.

The Three Sisters area also includes many stunning multi-pitch trad routes. The range consists of Beinn Fhada (The first sister), Gearr Aonach (The second sister), Aonach Dubh (The third sister), Bidean nam Bian, (the massive mountain at the back), and Stob Coire nan Lochan (the beautiful conical peak in the middle).  There are also some single pitch routes very close to the road.

The Evite slabs are located at the head of Loch Etive and are accessed from Glen Coe.  These granite slabs are at an angle of about 40 degree's and are generally smooth with few cracks. Several planes of rock are separated by overlaps and walls, providing strenuous interludes to the more usual delicate padding via faith and friction.  Climbing on the Evite slabs requires a cool head as virtually all the routes have long run-outs between gear placements.

The best rock climbing guidebook for Glen Coe is Scottish Rock Volume 1.  This selective modern guidebook describes the best routes in Glen Coe, Buachaille Etive Mor, and the Evite slabs with all the routes shown on colour photo topos. The Wired Scottish Rock Climbs guidebook also covers a selection of routes at Glen Coe and Glen Etive.  Buy rock climbing guidebooks for Glen Coe from our shop.

The Isle of Mull provides some isolated rock climbing on the coast where it is drier than the rest of the island.  All of the climbing is single pitch trad routes on a variety of rock types.

The climbing at Scoor is on an assortment of schist crags on the south coast.  The area has a pleasant holiday atmosphere with a fine sandy beach in an idyllic setting. 

The climbing at Erraid is on beautiful pink granite, and is the largest climbing areas on Mull.  Erraid is a small tidal island at the most westerly end of Mull.  It is accessible across the sands that in reality are only cut off from the main island for a couple of hours each day.

Iona is a small island a 5 minute ferry crossing from Mull, where there are a number of gneiss coastal crags.  The largest crag on Iona is called Raven’s Crag that has a good mixture of mid-grade routes.

The definitive guidebook for the rock climbing on Mull is called Inner Hebrides and Arran Rock Climbing Guidebook that is a fully modern guidebook with colour photo topos.  The Scottish Rock Volume 1 guidebook, and the Wired Scottish Rock Climbs Guidebook both describe a selection of the best routes on Mull and Iona.  Buy rock climbing guidebooks for Mull from our shop.

To really escape the crowds and have an adventure then the rock climbing at Ardgour and Ardnamurchan is the place to go, and they often benefit from fine clear weather when Glen Coe is enshrouded in cloud. 

The climbing at Ardgour is on good quality gneiss rock with multi-pitch routes over 200m long.  The largest crag is Garbh Bheinn with a good range of easy to mid-grade routes.

The climbing at Ardnamurchan is a combination of both inland and coastal crags, offering a variety of climbing in a truly idyllic setting well away from the mainstream climbing venues.  There are many crags dotted around Ardnamurchan with the largest being The Apron Slabs, Creag Meall an Fhir-Eoin, and Rubha Carrach.

The definitive guidebook for the rock climbing at Ardgour and Ardnamurchan is called Highland Outcrops South Guidebook that is a fully modern guidebook with colour photo topos.  The Scottish Rock Volume 1 guidebook, and the Wired Scottish Rock Climbs Guidebook both describe a selection of the best routes at Ardgour and Ardnamurchan. Buy rock climbing guidebooks for Ardgour and Ardnamurchan from our shop.