Scotland
Aonach Dubh
890M
2920FT
About Aonach Dubh
Rising as the westernmost of Glencoe’s Three Sisters, this dark, imposing spur of Bidean nam Bian offers a dramatic mountain experience. Its sheer northern face, featuring the inaccessible Ossian’s Cave, looms over the A82. Reaching the summit plateau reveals a stark, rocky environment with commanding views down the glen toward Loch Achtriochtan.
Key Statistics
Rank
66th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Grampians
Prominence
?
35m
Nearest Town
Highland
Geology
You are walking over the remains of ancient volcanoes. These slopes are built from layers of hardened lava, volcanic ash, and rocky debris.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NN149558
Latitude
56.6577°N
Longitude
5.0199°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is Gaelic for 'Black Ridge', referring to the dark rhyolite cliffs that dominate its northern aspect and appear near-black when wet or in shadow.
- •The hill is famous for Ossian’s Cave, a high, dark slit on the northern precipice. Legend names it the birthplace of the third-century poet Ossian, though it is actually a shallow recess reachable only by experienced rock climbers.
- •Its northern buttresses are a historic playground for climbers; the popular 'Dinner-time Buttress' earned its name because it was considered a short enough outing to be completed before returning for an evening meal.
- •The summit offers a spectacular, bird's-eye perspective of the jagged Aonach Eagach ridge across the valley and the sharp peak of Sgùrr na h-Ulaidh to the west.
- •It remains a common sight to see visitors at the base of the hill squinting at the cliffs, attempting to find a non-existent footpath to the cave entrance several hundred feet up a vertical wall.