The 10 Best Corbetts in Scotland: A Hill-Bagger's Shortlist

Quick Summary

• Scotland has 222 Corbetts — hills between 2,500ft (762m) and 2,999ft (914m) with at least 500ft of drop on all sides
• Only around 720 people have completed all 222 — compared to 7,000+ who've finished the Munros — the Corbetts are the quietest popular Scottish hill list
• The ten in this article span the country — from Arran and the Arrochar Alps to Ardnamurchan and the far north-west, with grades from 2 to 4
• Track your progress — our Hill Tracker will log your Corbetts as you bag them and find the nearest unbagged hill to where you live

If you've done a few Munros and you're ready for something quieter, harder and more interesting, the Corbetts are the natural next step — and you don't have to wait until you've finished the 282 Munros to start. This is the shortlist we'd give a friend looking for the best ten Corbetts to start with: ten hills that span the country, cover every difficulty level, and each one is genuinely worth the drive.

Quick Answer: The Corbetts are Scotland's hill list between 2,500ft and 2,999ft with a minimum 500ft drop on all sides — 222 hills in total, named after John Rooke Corbett who first compiled the list in the 1930s. Only around 720 people have completed all 222, compared to over 7,000 Munroists. Our ten starter picks span the country: The Cobbler and Ben Ledi near Glasgow, Goat Fell on Arran, Ben Vrackie in Perthshire, Beinn Resipol in Ardnamurchan, and four far-north classics including Quinag and Cùl Mòr in Assynt. Grades range from 2 (straightforward) to 4 (proper mountain day).

What a Corbett actually is

A Corbett is a Scottish hill between 2,500ft (762m) and 2,999ft (914.4m) with at least 500ft (152.4m) of drop on all sides — the “re-ascent rule” that stops the list being filled with tiny subsidiary summits. The list was first compiled by John Rooke Corbett, a Bristol rates officer and hillwalker, who completed every Scottish hill above 2,000 feet before his death in 1949. His widow presented the list to the Scottish Mountaineering Club, who adopted it as the definitive record of Scotland's “sub-Munro” high ground.

Source: Database of British and Irish Hills; Scottish Mountaineering Club.

Why Corbetts are often harder than Munros

The arithmetic says Corbetts are lower than Munros, so they should be easier. The reality is that most Munros have decades of path erosion behind them — a well-trodden stone-pitched route all the way to the summit, maintained by the National Trust for Scotland or path repair teams. Most Corbetts don't. You're often on pathless bog, a faint stalkers' track, or a steep hillside that nobody has bothered to build a path up because not enough people walk it.

The 500ft re-ascent rule also means Corbetts sit in their own right rather than as shoulders of bigger hills. You can't bag a Corbett in passing on your way up a Munro — you have to drop off the Munro, descend 150m, and climb 150m up again. Over a full day this adds up faster than the raw numbers suggest.

Why we'd still recommend them

Every honest Scottish hillwalker who's done both tells the same story: the Corbetts are better. Quieter summits, better views (your eye goes up to the Munros instead of being on them), wilder approaches, more of Scotland visible in a day. The WalkHighlands forum conversation about Corbetts vs Munros has been running for twenty years and always settles the same way. Start your Munros, absolutely — but add Corbetts to the rotation as soon as you've got a few confident hill days behind you.

The 10, at a glance

Distances, ascent and times from src/lib/data/corbetts.ts, verified against Ordnance Survey mapping. Difficulty grade 1-5: 1 = easy walk, 2 = mountain path, 3 = hillwalking with some scrambling or navigation, 4 = serious mountain day, 5 = proper mountaineering.

The list is ordered roughly by region from south to far-north. For a first-time Corbett bagger living in the central belt, the easiest introductions are Ben Ledi (grade 2, 75 minutes from Glasgow), The Cobbler (the most iconic) and Ben Vrackie (the Perthshire classic). The far-north hills — Cùl Mòr, Beinn Damh and Quinag — are proper expeditions but reward the drive with some of the best summit views in Britain.

1. The Cobbler (Ben Arthur) — Arrochar Alps

Probably the most recognisable hill in the southern Highlands — three rocky summits, a famous central peak with a final scramble through the eye of the needle to the true top, and a skyline visible from the A82 that has drawn walkers up it since the Victorian era. The Cobbler isn't a Munro (it's 884m, 16m short) but it is taller than four fifths of the Corbetts and has better views than most of them.

The route: From the Succoth car park on Loch Long, forest tracks lead to open hillside, then a steep zigzag path rebuilt in the 2010s. The south peak is the standard walker's summit. The true north peak requires a genuinely exposed scramble through the “eye” — not for vertigo sufferers. 11km round trip, 880m ascent, 5 hours.

Best time: April to October. Full winter conditions above 600m from December to March. The summit scramble becomes a serious proposition under verglas.

2. Goat Fell — Isle of Arran

The highest point on the Isle of Arran and the whole reason most first-time Arran visitors end up walking. The granite ridges of northern Arran are sometimes called “Scotland in miniature” — from Goat Fell's summit you can see Ireland, the Mull of Kintyre, the Ayrshire coast and the Argyll hills on a clear day.

The route: From Brodick Castle through oak woodland and up the long northeast ridge. Good path the whole way, one of the cleanest Corbett paths in Scotland. 13km round trip, 880m ascent, 5 hours. A longer day via the Stacach pinnacles to North Goat Fell adds a proper scramble.

Best time: Year-round, though winter ice on the summit plateau needs winter kit. May and September are the best compromises between daylight and weather.

Logistics: CalMac ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick (55 minutes, around £7 foot passenger). The hill starts 15 minutes' walk from the ferry terminal at Brodick — genuinely car-free Corbett.

3. Beinn an Lochain — Arrochar Alps

The hidden one. Beinn an Lochain sits above the Rest and Be Thankful pass on the A83, within minutes of The Cobbler, and is walked by perhaps a tenth as many people. It's 17m taller than The Cobbler at 901m (missing Munro status by exactly 13m), has a much quieter summit, and the summit ridge is arguably a better viewpoint than The Cobbler.

The route: Short and steep. From a layby at the top of the Rest and Be Thankful, a direct ascent up the east ridge. Only 6km round trip but 730m of ascent in a short distance means the climb is relentless. 4 hours.

Best time: April to October. The short route makes this a good shoulder-season option when daylight is limited.

4. Ben Vrackie — Perthshire

The tourism Corbett. Ben Vrackie rises directly above Pitlochry and is the walk every Pitlochry visitor does if they want to climb anything — short, well-pathed, low-commitment, and with a summit view that opens right across the Cairngorms. One of the most-walked Corbetts and by some measure the easiest on this list.

The route: From Moulin village above Pitlochry. A clear, well-used path through forest and onto open hillside, then a series of zigzags to the summit. 11km round trip, 740m ascent, 4.5 hours.

Best time: Year-round. Accessible by train (Pitlochry station is on the Inverness mainline) which makes it one of the best car-free Corbetts. Busy on summer weekends.

5. Beinn Bhuidhe — Argyll

The serious one on the first half of the list. Beinn Bhuidhe is a big, remote hill at the head of Glen Fyne, with a long approach on a stalkers' track before you even start climbing. It's one of the quieter Corbetts and the summit day feels more like a Munro expedition than a day walk.

The route: From the A83 at Glen Fyne, a long forest track walk-in, then a rough ascent up the south-west corrie to the summit ridge. 24km round trip, 950m ascent, 8 hours — the big day on this list.

Best time: May to September. The long approach means you want daylight. Deer stalking affects access from 1 September to 20 October — check with the estate.

6. Ben Ledi — Trossachs

The closest Corbett to Glasgow and Edinburgh after The Cobbler. Ben Ledi rises above the north end of Loch Lubnaig on the A84 near Callander and is one of the most popular Corbetts in southern Scotland because the whole hill day is straightforward and the views from the summit take in everything from Stirling and the Forth to Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps.

The route: From the Stank Glen car park or Strathyre, a forest track leads to open hillside and a clear path up the south ridge. 10km round trip, 730m ascent, 4.5 hours. A classic first Corbett.

Best time: Year-round. The Trossachs location means it's often cloud-free when the higher Arrochar hills are in mist. Popular for a reason.

7. Beinn Resipol — Ardnamurchan

The best views of any hill on this list, and the one most walkers have never heard of. Beinn Resipol sits on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, looking across to Mull and the Small Isles (Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna) — and on a clear day, the view from the summit is the full Hebridean panorama from Skye all the way to the Inner Hebrides.

The route: From a small car park on the minor road along Loch Sunart. A rough path winds up through birch woodland onto open hillside, then a steady climb up the south-east ridge. 14km round trip, 880m ascent, 6 hours.

Best time: May to October. Midges are severe in the Ardnamurchan summer — bring head nets and repellent (see our midge survival guide). Winter is often snow-free at this latitude but short daylight makes logistics tight.

Logistics: The long drive is the main cost. Corran Ferry from the A82 near Fort William, then the winding A861/B8007 west along Loch Sunart. Plan an overnight stay in Strontian or Salen to make it worthwhile.

8. Cùl Mòr — Assynt

The first of three far-north Corbetts on this list and the one that sets the tone. Cùl Mòr is one of the distinctive Assynt sandstone hills — steep-sided, flat-topped, rising out of the wet peat of the Coigach landscape like a Torridon hill that has been moved 50km north. The summit ridge is broad and rocky with views to Suilven, Stac Pollaidh, Quinag and Canisp.

The route: From a lay-by on the A835 south of Ledmore, a rough path crosses wet ground before climbing the south-east flank to the summit ridge. Navigation is a real skill requirement here — the approach is pathless in places and the weather in Assynt can turn fast. 13km round trip, 850m ascent, 6 hours. Grade 4 — the hardest on this list.

Best time: May to September. The approach gets boggy in wet weather.

9. Beinn Damh — Torridon

A Torridon classic without being a Torridon Munro. Beinn Damh rises directly above Loch Torridon and offers some of the most dramatic hill views in Scotland — the Liathach ridge to the north, Beinn Alligin across the loch, and Applecross to the west. Torridonian sandstone and quartzite terrain with the characteristic terraced structure of the region.

The route: From the Torridon Hotel car park, a path climbs through woodland and onto the south-east ridge. Good path for most of the way but the summit ridge has some rocky sections. 13km round trip, 990m ascent, 6.5 hours.

Best time: May to October. Winter conditions are full alpine on the summit ridge — not a winter beginner option.

10. Quinag — Sail Gharbh — Assynt

The northernmost hill on this list and the perfect Assynt Corbett day. Quinag is actually a multi-topped mountain with three separate peaks (Sail Gharbh, Sail Gorm, Spidean Coinich); Sail Gharbh at 808m is the highest and the one that counts as the Corbett. The summit plateau has one of the best “edge of the world” views in Scotland, looking north across Eddrachillis Bay to Handa Island and the far Sutherland coast.

The route: From a car park on the A894 between Kylesku and Ledmore, a good path (one of the best-built in Assynt) climbs steadily to the bealach and then onto the Sail Gharbh ridge. 12km round trip, 800m ascent, 5.5 hours.

Best time: April to October. The views are worth choosing a clear day for — cloud obscures the coast entirely.

How to pick which one first

If you're just starting on the Corbetts, the decision is usually about how far you can drive and how much mountain day you're ready for.

Living in Glasgow

Ben Ledi (75 minutes, grade 2) is the sensible first Corbett. Good path, forgiving gradient, big rewards for effort. The Cobbler (60 minutes, grade 3) is the more iconic choice but has the exposed summit scramble at the top — fine for confident walkers, a bit serious for a first Corbett. Beinn an Lochain (70 minutes, grade 3) is the quieter alternative to The Cobbler and a short day.

Living in Edinburgh

Ben Ledi (90 minutes) and Ben Vrackie (105 minutes) are both well within reach for a day trip. Ben Vrackie has the advantage of train access from Pitlochry station, which means you can do the hill without a car.

Living in the North-East

Ben Vrackie and Cùl Mòr / Beinn Damh / Quinag (the Assynt/Torridon cluster) are the natural picks for Aberdeen-based walkers willing to make the drive. A weekend trip staying in Ullapool gives access to several north-west Corbetts.

Planning a Corbett-focused long weekend

The best long weekend is Ullapool-based, three-day, three-hill: drive up Friday evening, walk Cùl Mòr Saturday, Quinag Sunday, Beinn Damh Monday morning on the drive south. That one itinerary ticks off three of the best Corbetts in Scotland and gives you the far north-west experience that changes how you think about Scottish hillwalking.

When to walk Corbetts

Most Corbetts are summer and shoulder-season hills for first-timers. The same rules that apply to Munros apply here:

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Why start with these ten

Every hill on this list is in our live dataset at src/lib/data/corbetts.ts with full editorial detail, route descriptions, parking info and drive times — which means each of the ten has its own hill detail page on the site (for example, the-cobbler, ben-ledi, quinag-sail-gharbh). Use this article as the shortlist and the individual hill pages as the route detail for the day you actually walk.

The other 212 Corbetts are coming as we import the full DBIH dataset. These ten are the ones we'd honestly walk first.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Corbett in Scottish hillwalking?

A Corbett is a Scottish hill between 2,500 feet (762m) and 2,999 feet (914.4m) with a minimum 500 feet (152.4m) drop on all sides — the “re-ascent rule” that ensures each hill sits in its own right rather than as a shoulder of a bigger mountain. There are 222 Corbetts in total. They are named after John Rooke Corbett, a Bristol hillwalker who compiled the list in the 1930s and completed every Scottish hill over 2,000 feet before his death in 1949.

How many Corbetts are there in Scotland?

There are 222 Corbetts in Scotland. The full list is maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club based on the original compilation by John Rooke Corbett. Heights and drop measurements are periodically revised by surveys, but the count has stayed at 222 since a redefinition in 2009.

What is the easiest Corbett to climb?

Ben Ledi in the Trossachs (75 minutes from Glasgow, 90 minutes from Edinburgh, grade 2, 10km round trip, 730m ascent) is the most-recommended first Corbett for beginners. Clear path, forgiving gradient, achievable as a half-day from the central belt. Ben Vrackie above Pitlochry is a strong alternative and has the advantage of train access. Both are on solid paths the whole way.

How many people have completed all the Corbetts?

Around 720 people have registered with the Scottish Mountaineering Club as having completed all 222 Corbetts — far fewer than the 7,000+ registered Munroists. Completing all 222 typically takes longer than the Munros because of the remote approaches, the pathless terrain, and the fact that you can't bag Corbetts in passing on Munro days (the 500-foot re-ascent rule).

Are Corbetts easier than Munros?

Not really. Corbetts are lower on average than Munros (typically 800-900m vs 950-1100m) but they are often harder on the ground. Most Munros have decades of stone-pitched path maintenance behind them; most Corbetts have faint stalker's paths or no path at all. The 500-foot re-ascent rule also means you can't tag a Corbett in passing — every one requires a full day's walk to and from the summit. Walkers who've done both consistently say the Corbetts are more interesting and more challenging day-for-day.

What is the difference between a Corbett and a Graham?

Corbetts are Scottish hills between 2,500 and 2,999 feet with a 500-foot drop rule. Grahams are Scottish hills between 2,000 and 2,499 feet with a 150-metre drop rule. The Grahams are the next list down from Corbetts and are an entirely separate catalogue — there are around 231 Grahams in Scotland. A hill can only be on one list: a Corbett becomes a Graham only if it's re-surveyed below 2,500 feet.

Which Corbetts are nearest Glasgow?

The Cobbler (60 minutes), Ben Ledi (75 minutes), Beinn an Lochain (70 minutes) and Beinn Narnain (65 minutes) are the closest Corbetts to Glasgow, all in the Arrochar Alps and Trossachs. Goat Fell on Arran (90 minutes plus a 55-minute ferry) is the next natural extension.

Do I need winter skills for Corbetts?

Yes, if you're walking them between November and April. Every Corbett on this list is a winter mountain above 600m and all of them have had mountain rescue callouts for walkers in summer kit during unexpected snow events. If you haven't taken a winter skills course, stick to May–October for a first Corbett season. Mountaineering Scotland runs winter courses from £120 and they are the cheapest piece of outdoor insurance you'll ever buy.

Related Articles

• Why the Corbetts Beat the Munros — the editorial case for Corbetts as Scotland's best hill list
• Your First Munro from Glasgow — the Munro shortlist that pairs with this one
• What to Wear Hillwalking in Scotland — the full layering system for any Corbett day
• Hillwalking Scotland Beginner's Kit List — what to buy before you start
• OutdoorSCOT Tools — Hill Tracker and other planning tools

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional safety instruction. Scottish hill conditions change rapidly — always check the weather forecast (MWIS) before heading out, carry appropriate equipment, and know your limits. Winter hillwalking requires training in snow and ice skills before any attempt above the snowline. Heights, distances and grades are verified against src/lib/data/corbetts.ts and the Database of British and Irish Hills at the time of publication. OutdoorSCOT is not liable for any incidents arising from the use of this information.

Sources

• Database of British and Irish Hills — Corbett classifications and heights
• Scottish Mountaineering Club — Corbetts — SMC
• Mountain Weather Information Service — MWIS
• Essential hill skills — Mountaineering Scotland