Ciste Dhubh

Ciste Dhubh, at 979 metres, is a dramatically pointed summit set some way back from Cluanie and Glen Shiel — "Black Chest" in Gaelic, a name reflecting its dark, craggy appearance visible from the A87. Despite being lower than many surrounding giants, it's a fine mountain of real character.

The standard route starts from a layby on the north side of the A87, just over a kilometre east of the Cluanie Inn — often combined with the neighbouring Corbett, Am Bathach. Through an old metal gate, a path climbs directly up a grassy ridge with a forestry fence on the left, the ascent continuing at a similar gradient for almost two kilometres before flattening near a minor cairned summit at 734 metres. Continuing along the pleasant ridge with steep slopes to either side reaches Am Bathach's summit, before descending steeply to the wide, boggy saddle of Bealach Chòinnich. From here, Ciste Dhubh's ascent begins on a soggy path up a wide, steep grassy slope, easing once above this section as the ridge narrows — a prominent peak called An Cnapach can be bypassed on its west side by the main path, or climbed directly by more purist walkers via a faint path over the top.

Higher up, the ridge continues comfortably before a short descent leads to a genuinely narrow, rocky arête just before the final summit approach — this section has unsettled several walkers on first encounter, though a path exists just below the crest that makes the crossing considerably less intimidating than it first appears from a distance.

The round trip taking in both Ciste Dhubh and Am Bathach from the Cluanie layby is around 16 kilometres with roughly 1,000 metres of ascent, typically five to seven hours.

The narrow arête near the summit and the boggy col between the two hills both demand care, and this remote mountain is genuinely deterred from other approaches by isolation — the standard Cluanie route, while well-established, should still be treated with full navigation skills given the exposed final ridge.

Parking in the layby east of the Cluanie Inn is free; Citylink buses between Glasgow and Inverness run along the A87, stopping at Cluanie Inn on request.