About Sgurr Choinnich Beag
Situated on the eastern tail of the Grey Corries, this sharp Munro Top offers a rugged, quartzite-scattered landscape characteristic of the Lochaber giants. It is usually reached via the airy ridge from Sgurr Choinnich Mor, providing spectacular views across the deep trough of Gleann na h-Eilde towards the Mamores.
Key Statistics
Rank
56th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Lochaber
Nearest Town
Tigh an Steill
Prominence
?
62m
Geology
You are walking over hardened mudstones and sandstones, cut through by bands of tough, crystalline rock that cooled from ancient magma.
Classifications
Did You Know?
- •The name translates from Scottish Gaelic as the 'Little Peak of Kenneth' or 'Little Mossy Peak'. While Choinnich often refers to the name Kenneth, in a topographic context it frequently derives from 'coinneach', meaning moss, though this particular summit is notably rocky.
- •Though classified as a Munro Top rather than a full Munro, its position on the main ridge means it is rarely visited in isolation. Most walkers traverse it as part of a high-level circuit of the Grey Corries, often using the Lairig Leacach bothy as a base.
- •The summit offers a commanding perspective of the Ben Nevis massif to the west, while looking south across the glen reveals the elegant silhouettes of Binnein Mor and Na Gruagaichean in the Mamore Forest.
- •The hill is capped with white Dalradian quartzite, which gives the Grey Corries their distinctive colour. This shattered rock creates a bright, scree-covered landscape that can be surprisingly slick and unstable underfoot in wet conditions.
- •Despite its name meaning 'little', the 963-metre summit sits higher than dozens of standalone Munros; its only misfortune is being tethered to a neighbour that happens to be thirty metres taller.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NN220710
Latitude
56.7964°N
Longitude
4.9163°W