Is Creag Tharsuinn a hard climb?

Creag Tharsuinn is rated 3/5 (moderately challenging) on the OutdoorSCOT scale. The standard route covers about 12km with 482m of ascent and takes most walkers 3-5 hours. Terrain: Forestry road and firebreak first, then heather and bog underfoot once on the crest.

How prominent is Creag Tharsuinn?

Creag Tharsuinn has 395m of topographic prominence — the height of its summit above the highest col connecting it to higher ground.

Where should I park to climb Creag Tharsuinn?

Standard parking is at NS028873. Check the parking grid reference on an OS map before travel; informal laybys can fill on summer weekends.

When should I climb Creag Tharsuinn?

The standard good-weather months for Creag Tharsuinn are March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. Outside those months, expect winter conditions on the high ground — full mountain kit, navigation skills, and a check of the SAIS avalanche forecast for the relevant region.

Can I bring my dog up Creag Tharsuinn?

On a lead only — the route crosses ground with livestock or nesting-bird interest.

By the OutdoorSCOT editor

Photo: Richard Webb / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Geograph

Submit a photo

Graham · Argyll & Bute

Creag Tharsuinn

Creag Tharsuinn (643m) — the transverse crag — is the highest point of the Cowal peninsula in the NS08 square, looking south down Loch Striven and east over the Clyde to Arran. A flat rock marks the high point of a long heathery ridge cut by mature plantation on the lower slopes.

Quick facts

Height: 643m/ 2110ft
Prominence: 395 m
Distance: ~12 km
Ascent: ~482 m
Time: 3–5 hrs
Difficulty: 3 / 5Strenuous
Grid ref: NS087913
Parking: NS028873
Nearest city: Oban· 45km
Dogs: Dogs on lead required near livestockDog-friendly guide ↗

Height and prominence cross-checked against the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY).

No GPX track yet

Walked this route? Share your track to help other walkers.

Submit your GPX

Standard route

heather moorland 60% · grass slopes 25% · rocky summit 15%

12km · 482m ascent · 3.2 hrs

Park at the head of Glendaruel where the B836 starts climbing east toward Loch Striven. Take the forestry road south, leaving it on a firebreak that strikes east up the ridge. Above the trees, the heathery crest leads gently south-east over false tops to the flat-rock summit on the east edge of the ridge.

Terrain

Forestry road and firebreak first, then heather and bog underfoot once on the crest. The flat-rock summit is unobtrusive and lies a short distance east of the obvious ridge cairn — confirm by altitude rather than landmark.

In winter

Cowal's maritime air keeps the ridge mostly snow-free, but cold easterlies plaster the heather with rime and ice. The firebreaks fill with drifted snow and become hard work; on the ridge itself, mist is the real difficulty as the false tops repeat themselves.

Kit for this: the winter Munro kit list · which boots take crampons

Outside the SAIS network. No Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast covers Creag Tharsuinn. SAIS forecasts six areas only — Northern and Southern Cairngorms, Creag Meagaidh, Lochaber, Glencoe and Torridon — and this hill is outside all of them, so there is no avalanche forecast to read for it. In winter, use MWIS West Highlands ↗ for mountain weather, judge snow stability from first principles, and treat any cornice or wind-loaded slope with extra caution.

Best time of year

Best OK Avoid

Getting there

Glasgow1h 21m
Edinburgh3h 31m

Parking: NS028873

OS maps: OS Landranger 56

Mobile signal: Moderate. EE on the ridge for Clyde views; weaker in the plantation.

Current conditions

Daylight Today

11h 50mwalking daylight

Sunrise: 07:49
Sunset: 18:24
Civil dawn: 07:11
Civil dusk: 19:01

NOAA Solar Calculator · 14 October 2026

Got a photo of Creag Tharsuinn?

30 seconds, helps other walkers.

Submit a photo

Walked it with a GPX?

From your watch or phone.

Submit GPX

Trip report?

Share what it was actually like.

Get in touch →

Around Creag Tharsuinn on the SCOT network

Getting there, basing yourself, and what to do off the hill.

On TripSCOT

station

Getting there: Gourock station

Ferry to Dunoon and Kilcreggan; Inverclyde coast walks

20km from the hill

tripscot.co.uk

On TripSCOT

town

Base yourself in Rothesay

Isle of Bute base; West Island Way; short Glasgow break

26km from the hill

tripscot.co.uk

Before you go

Hillwalking carries real risk and the responsibility for any day on the hill is yours. Conditions in Scotland change fast and can differ sharply from the forecast — check the weather and the ground before you commit, turn back when the day stops working, and carry map and compass with the ability to use them rather than relying on a phone.

The distance, ascent and time shown on this page are editorial estimates for the usual line, not measurements from a recorded track — that is what the ~ means. Treat them as a rough shape of the day. Your own pace, the conditions and the exact line you take will all move them.

Mountain forecasts: MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast. Access rights and responsibilities are set out in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

We check what we publish, but we cannot check the route on the day you walk it. Nothing here is a substitute for your own judgement.

Creag Tharsuinn — common questions

Is Creag Tharsuinn a hard climb?: Creag Tharsuinn is rated 3/5 (moderately challenging) on the OutdoorSCOT scale. The standard route covers about 12km with 482m of ascent and takes most walkers 3-5 hours. Terrain: Forestry road and firebreak first, then heather and bog underfoot once on the crest.
How prominent is Creag Tharsuinn?: Creag Tharsuinn has 395m of topographic prominence — the height of its summit above the highest col connecting it to higher ground.
Where should I park to climb Creag Tharsuinn?: Standard parking is at NS028873. Check the parking grid reference on an OS map before travel; informal laybys can fill on summer weekends.
When should I climb Creag Tharsuinn?: The standard good-weather months for Creag Tharsuinn are March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. Outside those months, expect winter conditions on the high ground — full mountain kit, navigation skills, and a check of the SAIS avalanche forecast for the relevant region.
Can I bring my dog up Creag Tharsuinn?: On a lead only — the route crosses ground with livestock or nesting-bird interest.
What's mobile reception like on Creag Tharsuinn?: Moderate. EE on the ridge for Clyde views; weaker in the plantation.
Is Creag Tharsuinn safe in winter?: Cowal's maritime air keeps the ridge mostly snow-free, but cold easterlies plaster the heather with rime and ice. The firebreaks fill with drifted snow and become hard work; on the ridge itself, mist is the real difficulty as the false tops repeat themselves.

Get the OutdoorSCOT weekly

One email a week — new route, hill and bothy guides, seasonal conditions and the odd hard-won lesson. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.