Description

Parking is freely available at the Ben Wyvis car park off the A835.

The route to the summit of Ben Wyvis is exceptionally easy to follow with a well-made and well-trod path the entire way.

The climb does start from the off so a little warm up is advisable if you’re wanting a fast time to the summit! The start is fast and easy running before the path becomes significantly steeper and laid stones and rocks make up one gigantic staircase; not natural but a good way of gaining vert quickly.

On a day with low visibility the first large cairn you arrive at could be mistaken for the summit, but the summit is in fact 1km or so further along the plateau.

Once at the summit carry on straight over the top in the direction of Tom a’Choinnich.

Being the most accessible Munro from Inverness the main path to the top can be quite busy on a nice day, but once you drop off the back side, you’ll escape the masses and experience the quiet solitude that the Scottish Highlands are renowned for. Follow the less obvious single-track path over Tom a’Choinnich and enjoy the switch-back descent off of it.

Initially soft underfoot you’ll then enter a rock field which slows progress somewhat before once again getting back onto some classic Scottish moorland.

Turn left on to the fireroad in the valley bottom which leads you alongside Loch Bealach Culaidh before entering a section of woodland which eventually intersections with the footpath you took on the way out.

Here you retrace your steps for the final 500m to the car park. It would be possible to extend the loop and incorporate Little Wyvis on the way out.

You could do this by starting out on the same main footpath but branch ‘off-piste’ up the side of Little Wyvis rather than taking the steep steps up it’s big brother.

Once up Little Wyvis there are a couple of options of then linking back onto the route; either back the way you came or by descending to the east and picking up another footpath up Ben Wyvis on that side. If you just want to bag the Munro, then the easy option is straight up and down, like most do, but why not make it into more of an adventure, it’s nearly always more fun that way!