Climbing
The 10 best peaks to summit under moonlight in the UK and Ireland
Think going up the highest, hardest mountains of Britain is challenging? Try it at night when the darkness adds more danger, but increases the rewards...
Who says UK peaks don't pack a punch? Having summited all the 3,000-foot peaks in England, Ireland and Wales, and about to complete his fourth round of Munros, adventurer Alan Rowan has climbed the equivalent height of Mount Everest over 100 times in the UK alone.
But what truly sets Rowan apart from most other hikers is his love of climbing at night, giving him the chance to beat the crowds and enjoy a sunset on the top of a peak before hunkering down in a bivouac or cave while waiting for sunrise.
He started his nocturnal adventures in the 1990s when he was sports editor of a national newspaper, leaving his desk in Glasgow late in the evening to head into the Highlands. Instead of waiting for dawn to break, he began walking up some of the toughest peaks in Britain at night, coming down as most walkers were just setting off.
As well as investing in a good head torch and watching your step - obviously - he suggests finding a mountain with a "decent path” to make the ascent a little easier.
Here, the author of new book 'Mountains of the Moon: Lunar Nights on Scotland's High Peaks' picks his 10 best summits to go walking up at night...
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1. Beinn Eighe, Torridon
With steep paths and narrow ridges, Beinn Eighe is not for casual walkers
© Alan Rowan
"I have summited this twice at night and it is absolutely fantastic. We went up at midnight in summer and got a sunset when everything became pink. But because of the way it is positioned you also get the sunrise on Liathach where the colours are also spectacular. We went up through Coire Mhic Fhearchair – we lost the moon at first but it came into the corrie. The path is very good and the climb up onto the ridge is fine with an easy drop down from Spidean Coire nan Clach."
How to get there: Start in car park at GR NG959569. Walk from side of A896 up to Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair, and then to the top of the corrie behind it to reach the ridge between Ruadh-stac Mor and Spidean Coire nan Clach. Descend on the path beyond Spidean Coire nan Clach.
2. Helvellyn, Lake District
Helvellyn is the 3rd highest mountain in the Lake District and England
© Getty
"Striding Edge on Helvellyn has got a great view down it. I did it very, very early in the morning, it was almost light and the colours were always going to be good with a wonderful view all around. When you climb up the spiked ridge the light tends to catch it and make it really spectacular on the skyline. The path up from Glenridding is good and easy to follow which also makes it a good walk to do at night."
How to get there: Start in the visitor centre car park in Glenridding at GR NY386169. Head up Birkhouse Moor and then onto Striding Edge, before reaching the summit.
3. A'Mhaighdean, Fisherfield
Deep in the heart of the Fisherfield Forest, this summit is a remote climb
© Alan Rowan
"It is one of the most spectacular viewpoints in Scotland, a long walk but the rewards are worth it. The standard route from Kinlochewe is good track and path all the way. The last time I started up in the afternoon to get the sunset. Nestled between A’Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mhor there is a bealach with a little cave which I put my gear in before spending a couple of hours on the top. But when I went back there was a man and a dog sleeping in there. I slept for a few hours as well and then got a great sunrise."
How to get there: Start in the car park at GR NH038624. Walk from Kinlochewe up to the northeast side of Lochan Fada, via the Heights of Kinlochewe, then go up to the summit of A’Mhaighdean.
4. Beinn a'Ghlo, Perthshire
The stunning sunrise from Beinn a' Ghlo makes the perfect Instagram shot
© Alan Rowan
"Because it is in the east and there is not much else around it you get an absolutely spectacular sunrise with not much blocking it. I once did it with a camera team and we were up there by two o’clock in the morning and stayed there for about five or six hours. The first of the three Munros, Carn Liath, is the best for views – we just went straight up the path on the front. Having said that it is also known as the mountain of mist – because it is a lone mountain it tends to attract cloud."
How to get there: Start at the end of the road from Bridge of Tilt at GR NN905671. Follow an obvious route on tracks and then paths, up the front of Carn Liath, the most westerly of the Beinn a’Ghlo Munros.
5. Tryfan, Snowdonia
Tryfan, Snowdonia is as menacing as it is marvellous
© Getty
"Because of the angles your view from the top of Tryfan, the skyline can be quite spectacular with the light coming through. It is a bit scrambly [not least where Bristly Ridge is concerned] but it is all pretty obvious and there is only one bit where you have to edge along and really watch your step - the guy I was with didn't bother to tell me there was more than one route up. There are two or three options starting by the A5 depending on how you feel about it."
How to get there: Start at parking areas near Llyn Ogwen by the A5 at GR SH668605. A path leads from the roadside right to the mountain with scrambles up to the top of varying difficulty (remember to only attempt what you are capable of).
6. Suilven, Assynt
"Given Suilven is a lone mountain, the light that it attracts at both sunrise and sunset is spectacular. You can go in either side and cross the col – it is a full circuit mountain, after all. Other great focal points include the lochans, as much of the landscape is dotted with water. In fact, folk kayak or canoe up to Suilven during the day then walk up and camp on the summit at night."
How to get there: Start at parking area by single track road from Lochinver at GR NC107219. Follow a track, past Glencanisp Lodge, for four miles before heading southwest to begin the boggy and rocky walk up to a bealach where you veer right to reach the summit.
7. Sgurr Nan Ceathreamhnan, Northwest Highlands
This mountain is one of the remotest peaks in Scotland
© Alan Rowe
"A huge peak in the centre of Glen Affric, you'll feel like you can see mountains forever. Going up at night the mountain in front of you will be glowing copper and if you turn to look the other way everything is gold – and because it is in the centre of the peaks you have an amazing 360-degree view on top. There are two or three ways into it; you can do it from the Clunie Inn or the Glen Affric car park - there is a hostel which people can as a base at the foot of the mountain."
How to get there: Start at the hostel in Glen Affric at GR NH080202 (A 6-mile walk from the Cluanie Inn by the A87). Head north for a steep climb up to the ridge, from where Sgurrn nan Ceathreamhnan is to the left (west).
8. An Teallach, Dundonnell
The challenging Grade 3 scramble is worth it for these breathtaking views
© Getty
"This makes the list simply because of the spires of rock and the colours on them. It is usually climbed from Dundonnell but you have two or three ways in there. It is simple enough to climb at night because of the good paths and even if you don’t want to go to the summit you can still look up at the spires. An Teallach is incredible at any time but doing it at night with light on the spires is a must-have experience."
How to get there: Start by the A832 near the Dundonnell Hotel at GR NH093879. Follow a path up onto Meall Garbh and then onto the main ridge itself.
9. Braeriach, Cairngorms
The long tough walk is an epic challenge for some
© Alan Rowan
"The Cairngorms are fantastic for a night walk because the paths are so good. I walked over from the nearby car park and thanks to the moon I didn’t even need a head torch. Well, except for the Chalamain Gap where no light gets through. While walking on towards Braeriach at 3.30am it was already getting light and I had my breakfast waiting for the sun to come up with great views all around. On the top of Braeriach lies a brilliant panorama."
How to get there: Start at the Sugarbowl car park above Glenmore at GR NH984074. Head southwest to go through the Chalamain Gap and drop down to the lower reaches of the Lairig Ghru. Walk up Sron na Lairige and round to the summit of Braeriach.
10. Brandon Mountain, South West Ireland
How to get there: Start at a car park known at Baile Breac (Ballybrack), off the R549. Follow the 'Saint’s Road' path in a straight line to the top.
"This climb gives echoes [the Isle of] Skye with a wonderful rocky corrie and good paths all the way, especially if you start in the west at the Ballybrack car park. And then, when you are out on the top, you are looking out onto the Atlantic with nothing else in front of you. If you get up for sunset and start coming down, you will get the sunrise coming the other way. A treat."
Alan Rowan's 'Mountains of the Moon: Lunar Nights on Scotland's High Peaks' is now on sale. Read more about the author's adventures here.
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