Top 10 Highest Mountains in the UK
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| Illustrated picture. Photo: Mixi |
The United Kingdom (UK), if you didn’t know already, is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Out of all of these countries, Scotland is where the highest peaks can be found. Head north of Scotland’s densely populated central belt of Glasgow, Stirling, Perth and Edinburgh, and you’ll find yourself in the Scottish Highlands – home to all of the UK’s highest mountains (including Ben Nevis – the highest mountain in the UK).
With a tiny population of 5.425 million (2.711 million less than that of London) and a staggering size of 30,918 square miles (London is a measly 607 square miles), you can soon tell that the majority of Scotland is going to be pretty wild.
All of the mountains on this list are the tallest mountains in Scotland and of course, the highest Munros too. If you’re unaware what that is, a Munro is a mountain in Scotland that’s at least 3,000ft tall, or 914m – there’s 277 of them in all.
The List of 10 Highest Mountains in the UK
1) Ben Nevis - 1,345m
2) Ben Macdui - 1,309m
3) Braeriach - 1,296m
4) Cairn Toul - 1,291m
5) Sgòr An Lochain Uaine - 1,258m
6) Cairn Gorm - 1,245m
7) Aonach Beag - 1,234m
8) Aonach Mòr - 1,221m
9) Càrn Mòr Dearg - 1,220m
10) Ben Lawers - 1,214m
Which are the Highest Mountains in the UK?
1) Ben Nevis -1,345m
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| Photo: timeoutdoors |
Location: Fort William
Scottish Gaelic name: Beinn Nibheis
Gaelic meaning: “Venomous mountain” or “mountain with its head in the clouds”
The highest mountain in the UK and probably the most famous mountain in the UK, for that very reason. Ben Nevis has an estimated 160,000 ascents per year. This popularity however is largely concentrated on the tourist path, with around three quarters of summiteers choosing this route to the top of the UK.
Although the tourist path is the most popular, Ben Nevis holds some of the best climbing and mountaineering routes in the country on its steep and craggy north face. If you’ve got the right experience and skill level, then you’ll be able to find a route up that’s 100 times more exciting and dramatic than that of the ‘Punter’s Path’.
Once you’re at the summit of the Ben, you may be surprised to find ruins at the top. These are the remains of an old weather observatory, which was manned from the years 1883 to 1904. Interestingly, this summit is the highest ground for over 640 km before the Norwegian mountains are reached.
2) Ben Macdui - 1,309m
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| Photo: mpora |
Britain’s second highest peak is Ben Macdui in the Scottish Highlands. It is the highest peak in the Cairngorms National Park which is the largest national park in the UK covering over 1,700 square miles. The easiest ascent is a 4 mile route starting from the Cairngorm Ski Centre. A detour can be included to “bag” Cairn Gorm along the way. Other routes are possible but all involve a slow and steady trek. One option is to cycle from the Linn of Dee to Derry Lodge (about 2.5 miles) and then ascend the southern side. The summit with its bare boulder field has a toposcope identifying the surrounding mountains, erected in 1925.
3) Braeriach - 1,296m
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| Photo: Mud and Routes |
Location: Cairngorms
Scottish Gaelic name: Am Bràigh Riabhach
Gaelic meaning: Brindled greyish upper
Braeroach comes in at third on this list, but is still the highest point of the western side of the Cairngorms. Braeriach is known for hiding some of Britain’s only year-round snow patches, on one of its northern corries – Garbh Choire Mor. This snowpatch, named ‘The Sphinx’, has only melted six times in the last century – happening in the years 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006 and most notably when it ended an eleven year life in 2017.
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4) Cairn Toul - 1,291m
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| Photo: The Mountain Guide |
Cairn Toul is linked by a mountain pass to Braeriach and towers above the western side of Lairig Ghru Pass. Due to its location, Cairn Toul is often climbed in conjunction with other neighbouring peaks including The Devils; Point, Braeriach and Sgor an Lochain Uaine. It necessitates a long trip, often over two days and may entail a stay at the isolated Corrour Bothy refuge overnight. The ascent includes all types of terrain from scree and boulder fields to boggy areas.
5) Sgòr An Lochain Uaine - 1,258m
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| Photo: Steve Fallon |
Location: Cairngorms
Scottish Gaelic name: Sgòr an Lochain Uaine
Gaelic meaning: Peak of the green lochan
Sister peak to Cairn Toul, Sgòr an Lochain Uaine (pronounced skorn lochan OOan) is another Munro in the Cairngorm National Park. When you take a look at an OS map of the Cairngorm National Park, you may see Sgòr an Lochain Uaine labeled as ‘The Angel’s Peak’. This isn’t, despite what you think, because the peak is so hard to pronounce. Angel’s Peak was the name given to Sgòr an Lochain Uaine in the 19th century, by the Cairngorm Mountaineering Club’s founding member Andrew Copland. He did it to oppose nearby Devil’s Point (1006m) located southwest of Sgòr an Lochain Uaine.
6) Cairn Gorm - 1,245m
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| Photo: mpora |
Location: Cairngorms
Scottish Gaelic name: An Càrn Gorm
Gaelic meaning: Blue or Green cairn
Set in the Scottish Highlands overlooking the ski resort and town of Aviemore, Cairn Gorm gives its name to the whole range of mountains. The northwest slopes are used for downhill skiing in winter and they are served by the funicular Cairngorm Mountain Railway, the highest railway in the UK. The one mile line ends at the Ptarmigan building some 1087m up Cairn Gorm. Most ascents are on the north side although high winds and blizzards can make it impassable. The summit houses an automated weather station transmitting wind speed and temperature data. Look for the remote Loch Avon from the southern side of the summit.
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7) Aonach Beag - 1,234m
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| Photo: mpora |
Location: Fort William
Scottish Gaelic name: Aonach Beag
Gaelic meaning: Small ridge
Linked with number eight on the list of the UK’s highest mountains is Aonach Beag. A ridge joins together both Aonach Beag and Aonach Mòr. With the names ‘Beag’ meaning small and ‘Mòr’ meaning big, it’s a little confusing that Aonach Beag is the largest of the Aonachs (the names are in relation to the overall bulk of the mountains, not the height).
Whilst it’s possible to ascend Aonach Beag from different angles, many will find an approach from Aonach Mòr to be the easiest. Using the gondola gives you access high on Aonach Mòr, allowing you to tick off both Munros in a single trip with the aid of a lift. The mountain gondola found on Aonach Mòr inevitably means that Aonach Beag is the much less visited one.
Just like with Braeriach, Aonach Beag hides one of the UK’s only almost-permanent snow patches; one that only melts during the hottest of summers.
8) Aonach Mòr - 1,221m
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| Photo: mpora |
Location: Fort William
Scottish Gaelic name: Aonach Mòr
Gaelic meaning: Big ridge
Aonach Mor is popular for skiing and snowboarding and in summer the gondola ski lift is used by hikers, paragliders and mountain bikers wanting to descend the downhill mountain bike track. The mountain hosts the Mountain Bike World Cup and other championships. Climbers can use the ski gondola for the first ascent of 2,100 ft (650m) and then walk to the summit. Aonach Mor can also be tackled from the south side. Most walkers also ascend Aonach Berg via the high bealach (pass).
9) Càrn Mòr Dearg - 1,220m
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| Photo: walkhighlands |
Location: Fort William
Scottish Gaelic name: Càrn Mòr Dearg
Gaelic meaning: Great red peak
Sandwiched in between Ben Nevis and the Aonachs is Càrn Mòr Dearg, meaning ‘great red peak’ in Scottish Gaelic. This name is due to the distinctively reddish hint to the granite that’s found towards the summit.
Linked up to Ben Nevis via a ridge named the Càrn Mòr Dearg arete, it’s this approach that offers one of the most stunning ways to reach the summit of the UK’s highest point both in summer and winter. A scramble in summer, where a good head for heights is required, and a more serious winter walk during the colder months mean that the ‘CMD arete’ is something to only have a go at once you’ve got some decent hillwalking experience under your belt.
10) Ben Lawers - 1,214m
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| Photo: beyonk |
Location: Perth and Kinross
Scottish Gaelic name: Beinn Labhair
Gaelic meaning: Hill of the loud stream or hoof or claw mountain
Ben Lawers is the highest peak in Perthshire. It is on the watershed between the Tay and Lyon Rivers and water is channelled into the Breadalbane Hydro-Electric Power Station. The mountain is a National Nature Reserve and has an exceptional diversity of artic-alpine plants and flora including alpine forget-me-not and saxifrages. There is a National Trust car park on the western side and a path leads to the summit. The lower section of the path is a nature trail and the path ascend to the summit of Ben Lawers via the Beinn Ghlas peak. Alternative routes follow Lawers Burn and the east ridge. There's also an event that occurs here once each year, called the Artemis Kindrochit Great Quadrathlon that involves running 15 miles across 7 peaks with a swim, bike and kayak thrown in for good measure!
Different types categories of the Highest Mountains in the UKAccording to the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, height and prominence are the most important factors when comparing mountains. While some of the tallest mountains in terms of overall size start on the seabed, other summits are a mere bump on the side of another mountain. We will be listing the highest mountains in the UK by height. Anything below 2,000 feet or 609m is considered a hill. Some classifications of mountains are often grouped together for different purposes. For example, “Munro bagging” involves climbing all the mountains in Scotland over 3000 feet (914.4m). It’s a lifelong challenge to climb them all and achieve the kudos as a “Munroist”. Here are the definitions of some of the main mountain classifications in the UK: The P600s (the Majors) P600s are mountains anywhere in the British Isles with a prominence above 1,969 feet (600m) regardless of the overall height of the mountain. There are 120 P600s; 81 in Scotland, 25 in Ireland (just 1 in Northern Ireland), 8 in Wales and 4 in England. Hewitts Hewitt is the acronym for Hills in England, Wales and Ireland over Two Thousand feet. They must have a relative height of 98 feet (30m). The latest list (2019) has 525 Hewitts: 209 in Ireland, 180 in England and 136 in Wales. Simms Simms are “metric Hewitts” and the list was devised in 2010. They need to be at least 1,968 feet (600m) in height and have a minimum prominence of 98.4 feet (30m). Using this definition, there are 2,754 Simms in the British Isles. This list is maintained by the DoBIH – the Database of British and Irish Hills Nuttalls Compiled in 1989 by avid mountain walkers John and Anne Nuttall, Nuttalls are mountains in England and Wales only. They must be over 2,000 feet (610m) with a relative height of 49 feet (15m) so they include many smaller tops than other classes. There are 444 Nuttalls. Munros There are 282 Munros. These are peaks in Scotland exceeding 3,000 feet or 914.4m. There is no set prominence, but Munros must be seen as a separate mountain. This list was compiled in 1891 by Scottish mountaineer Sir Hugh Munro. Subsidiary summits are called Munro Tops, of which there are 227. Murdos Murdos are any Munro in Scotland (over 3,000 feet or 914.4m high) with a prominence of at least 98 feet (30m). There are 442 Murdos. Furths Furths have the same criteria as Scottish Munros but are located elsewhere in the British Isles. There are 34 Furths: 15 in Wales, 13 in Ireland and 6 in England. Corbetts The Corbetts only include mountains in Scotland which are between 2500 and 3000 feet (762 and 914.4m) with a prominence of at least 55 feet (152m). There are currently 221 Corbetts on the list, which is maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club. Grahams The next lowest group is the Grahams, Scottish mountains between 2000 and 2500 feet (609.6 and 762m). The updated list has 221 Grahams. Donalds Donalds are hills in the Scottish Lowlands exceeding 2000 feet (609.6m). It includes 89 summits and 51 subsidiary tops. Marilyns There are 1216 Marilyns in Scotland. These are hills with a relative height of 492 feet (150m) above their surroundings regardless of their total height. HuMPs HuMPs were devised and published by Mark Jackson as recently as 2010. HuMPs are the acronym for “Hundred and Upwards Metre Prominence” mountains. Similar to Scottish Marilyns, HuMPs are mountains of any height with a prominence of 330 feet (100m). There are 2,986 HuMPs in the British Isles: 2,168 in Scotland, 833 in Ireland, 444 in England, 366 in Wales and 11 in the Channel Islands. TuMPs Mark Jackson produced another classification of mountains in 2010, known as TuMPs (Thirty and Upwards Metre Prominence). This covers all hills and mountains in Britain that stand at least 98 feet (30m) above the surrounding land on all sides. Not surprisingly, this is an extensive list with 17,044 named TuMPs. The list is now maintained by the Database of British and Irish Hills. These are the main classifications of mountains in the British Isles, but there are others. These different classifications create very different rankings for mountains. For example, Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England, but only the 257th highest in the British Isles as per Simms. It is 138th on the Marilyn classification and the 46th highest mountain on the P600. As with many other mountains, Scafell Pike is included in various classifications as a Marilyn, HuMP, Furth, Hewitt and a Nuttall. It is often the prominence of a mountain summit, as well as the height, that defines its classification. |
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