Aonach Beag is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

. It is located about 3 km east of

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. The summit is above sea level and is the highest land in any direction for . Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian ...

on the north side of Glen Nevis, near the town of Fort William. Apart from Ben Nevis, Aonach Beag is the highest peak in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

outwith the Cairngorm mountains of eastern Scotland. Aonach Beag is linked to its close neighbour to the north,

Aonach Mòr Aonach Mòr is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. It is located about northeast of Ben Nevis on the south side of Glen Spean, near Fort William. The mountain has a summit elevation of and is classified as a Munro. The name Aonach Mòr (' ...

, by a high saddle or

bealach A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migra ...

. The name Aonach Beag (''small ridge'') might imply that this mountain is smaller than

(''big ridge''). However, Aonach Beag is higher; the names refer to the relative bulk of the two mountains rather than their elevation. The easiest way up is to take the

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate sup ...

serving the Nevis Range

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

on Aonach Mòr to an elevation of 650 m and follow the ridge joining the two peaks. More traditionally, the hill is often climbed from the south from Glen Nevis. This way the walker avoids the paraphernalia associated with the ski development. Aonach Beag is often climbed in conjunction with Aonach Mòr. Aonach Beag's north face holds one of Scotland's longest-lying

snow patch A snow patch is a geomorphological pattern of snow and firn accumulation which lies on the surface for a longer time than other seasonal snow cover. There are two types to distinguish; seasonal snow patches and perennial snow patches. Seasonal patc ...

es (grid reference NN196718), which sits at the bottom of the climb known as 'Queen's View' at an elevation of about 950 m. This patch has been known to last through to the first lasting snows of the new winter, and was present continuously from late 2006 to late November 2011.

References

{{Authority control Marilyns of Scotland Munros Mountains and hills of the Central Highlands Mountains and hills of Highland (council area) One-thousanders of the British Isles

See also

References