Sunset over the campsite on Loch Fada
High on Mullach Coire Mhic Fearchair
Slioch from the Shore of Loch Fada
The Fisherfield Forest is famous for containing the remotest Munros in the whole of Scotland. Therefore, it is no surprise that this area is known as The Great Wilderness. It normally takes three days of walking and two nights of wild camping to summit the munros in this spectacular region. This feat is fully rewarded with dramatic views and an unforgettable experience. Our guided, three day package will give you the chance to complete all five munros in this remarkable landscape.
Please read our itinerary to find out more about the routes we take and options available.
Our Fisherfield Munros Course is for anyone wishing to complete the Munros in the Fisherfield Forest, commonly referred to as the Fisherfield 5. These munros are; Sgùrr Ban, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Beinn Tarsuinn, A’ Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mòr. Often our clients are experienced hill walkers who are trying to complete all the Munros in Scotland. Some of our clients are not Munro baggers at all but just wish to undertake this incredible expedition. Either way please be prepared for an incredibly challenging day of hill walking as well as two nights of wild camping. Having some previous wild camping experience is recommended but not essential.
This Fisherfields is located in The North West Highlands of Scotland. This area is world famous for its vast and natural beauty. An unspoilt landscape and mountaineers paradise that remains fantastically peaceful due to its remote access. The largest village in the area is Gairloch and this is a perfect place to make your base before and after your expedition. It has excellent local facilities and amenities, including B&Bs, self catering, hotels, shops, pubs and takeaways.
We offer this course on both an open or private basis. On an Open Course you book on to a specific date and will join a group of other like minded walkers. We only take small groups into this area due to the remoteness and difficulty of the walk. Therefore, our maximum group size is 6. For our private courses you will book a course specifically for yourself or your own small group, therefore you can choose a date that suits.
Please read our example itinerary below, it will give you a more detailed understanding of the expedition. Do be aware that weather conditions may cause us to make changes to this itinerary.
We highly recommend you book accommodation for the night before and after the expedition in or near Gairloch. Our start time for day one and our finish time for day three will be weather dependent. Therefore, spending the night before and after nearby can make the logistics of a very early start or very late finish much easier for yourself.
Today we will meet at around midday (weather dependent) in the small village of Kinlochewe. After a brief chat and kit check we will head off on the start of the expedition, carrying everything we will need with us for the next three days. We will provide a comprehensive kit list well in advance to help you prepare and pack.
Today’s walk offers incredible views of this wild and dramatic landscape. This area is dominated by Slioch, one of the most iconic and photographed mountains in the North West Highlands. You will also gain glimpses of some of the summits you will be undertaking tomorrow. Since we will be walking along an excellent footpath there will be plenty of opportunity to take in and enjoy the landscape around us. The walk is approximately 11km and we expect to take 3-4 hours to reach our wild camping destination of Loch Fada.
Expect an early wake up as we have a long day ahead of us. In order to complete all 5 Munros we will need to walk approximately 22km and ascend more than 2000m. We will begin with Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair before heading down to a bealach and straight on to our second Munro Sgurr Ban. From here we will retrace our steps back up Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair and onwards to Beinn Tarsuinn. Next we will descend into the glen before heading up our final two Munros; Ruadh Stac Mòr and A’ Mhaighdean. Once all 5 summits are complete we will make our way back to Loch Fada for a second night. Expect today’s terrain to be rough underfoot. There are some sections of faint path, however, much of the day is pathless, rough or boggy ground.
Today we will pack up our tents, ensuring we leave no trace of our stay, then head back down to Kinlochewe. With tired legs the walk out may take a little longer than the walk in.
Please note, we will adapt the itinerary as needed to give you the greatest chance of success depending on the weather forecast. There are a variety of ways we can change the itinerary in order to suit the weather, these include:
It is rare, but possible, that the weather conditions may be so challenging that we cannot complete all the munros. In which case we will complete as many as is safe to do so. In these circumstances we may not wild camp, but instead complete what we can in three individual days.
In the extremely rare circumstances that it is not possible to complete any of the munros due to poor weather we will instead choose some alternative lower level walks. Please note, fortunately this has not yet had to happen on one of our expeditions.
If you are booking a private expedition and wish to undertake an alternative route do just let us know. Alternative options include starting at Corrie Hallie near Dundonnell and camping near Shenavall. This is a popular option but one we avoid for our Open Expeditions due to the uncertainty of a particularly awkward river crossing. In addition we can also include the nearby Corbett, Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh. We can also guide this expedition as a through route from Poolewe to Kinlochewe. Please just get in touch if you have any specific route requirements and are interested in doing the expedition on a private basis.
In order to provide the best experience and highest chances of success we keep low ratios for our courses. For our Fisherfield Five Expedition we never go beyond a ratio of 1 guide to 6 clients. These small numbers allow us to make sure you get the direction and support you need as well as ensuring the highest chance of completing all of the Munros.
Open course are where you can book onto a date and join other like minded people. These are great for individuals looking to share an experience with others and make new friends and walking partners. Our open courses are run to a maximum of six individual spaces (with one instructor) on each open course to give the perfect balance between a social experience and effective journeying in the mountains.
Our three day open expedition allow you to tackle all five Munro’s as well as enjoying a beautiful campsite in the last great wilderness. We take three days to give a reasonable amount of flexibility with weather conditions.
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 8 Jun 2024 to 10 Jun 2024 | £499 per person |
| 14 Sep 2024 to 16 Sep 2024 | £499 per person |
Private courses are totally flexible and tailored directly to your needs. These can be run on any dates during the season and will only have yourself or those you have booked with on the course. This works well for those where they need specific dates or where they would rather not be on a course with someone they don’t know. We have a maximum ratio of 1 guide to 6 clients for our private Fisherfield Five Munro’s courses to ensure the best experience and give you the highest chance of success.
| Ratio | Price |
|---|---|
| 1:1 | £1080 |
| 1:2 | £610 per person |
| 1:3 | £430 per person |
| 1:4 | £350 per person |
| 1:5 | £280 per person |
| 1:6 | £240 per person |
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 8 Jun 2024 to 10 Jun 2024 | £499 per person |
| 14 Sep 2024 to 16 Sep 2024 | £499 per person |