Ben Starav & the Glen Etive Munros — Parking

From the car park

The glen leaves the A82 at a signed junction a couple of miles south of Kingshouse and immediately becomes single-track with passing places. For Ben Starav — the big one — the parking is a small gravel area beside the private track to Coileitir at NN 137 468, roughly 7 miles down the glen; it takes only a handful of cars. From there you cross the Allt Mheuran and grind almost continuously up the north ridge to the 1,078m summit. The road continues to a small car park at the head of Loch Etive, the turning point for Beinn Trilleachan and the Etive Slabs.

The walk

Ben Starav (1,078m) is the headline: a relentless 1,100m of ascent from near sea level on a narrow, characterful ridge, usually linked with Glas Bheinn Mhòr and sometimes Beinn nan Aighenan for a big Munro day (18–20km, 1,500m+). Further round, Stob Coir' an Albannaich and Meall nan Eun give a wilder, pathless pair. None of these are beginner hills — they are long, committing and remote, with rough ground and real navigation once the ridges broaden. Add the drama of the glen itself and it is one of the finest, and most demanding, corners of the southern Highlands.

Busy times

The problem here is never crowds on the hill, it is cars in the glen. On any dry summer weekend the pull-ins fill from early morning and the passing places get abused by people who should know better. Add the steady traffic of photographers chasing the Skyfall view and campervans hunting an overnight spot and the lower glen can feel gridlocked by mid-morning. Arrive before 8am, or come midweek and outside the school holidays.

Getting here without a car

Effectively none. No bus runs down Glen Etive. Scottish Citylink coaches on the A82 (Glasgow–Fort William) stop at Kingshouse, but that still leaves a 2-mile walk to the glen mouth and up to 7 miles more to the Ben Starav parking — not a realistic car-free approach unless you are set on walking or cycling the road. This is a glen that all but requires a car, which is exactly why the parking pressure is so acute.

Current conditions

Frequently asked questions

Is there a car park in Glen Etive?

Not a proper one. There is a small gravel area by the Coileitir track (NN 137 468) for Ben Starav that holds only a few cars, and a small turning area at the road end by Loch Etive. Otherwise it is scattered informal pull-ins. It is free, but there is very little of it — treat finding a space as the crux of the day.

Can I park anywhere on the Glen Etive road?

No. The road is single-track and the passing places must be kept clear — parking in them is illegal, blocks emergency and estate vehicles, and is the main reason relations in the glen have soured. Use the designated pull-ins and the Coileitir and road-end spaces only. If they are full, the responsible answer is to go elsewhere.

Where is the Skyfall viewpoint in Glen Etive?

The scene where Bond looks out over the glen was filmed a few miles down the road from the A82. There is no dedicated car park for it — people stop at pull-ins, which adds to the congestion. If you are there for the view, arrive early, use a proper pull-in, and do not block the road for a photo.

How hard is Ben Starav from Glen Etive?

It is a serious hill day: around 1,100m of almost continuous ascent from near sea level on a narrow ridge, 8–10 hours if you link Glas Bheinn Mhòr and Beinn nan Aighenan. It suits fit, experienced hillwalkers with navigation skills, not first-timers. In winter it is a mountaineering route.

Open in maps

Coordinates: 56.586, -5.028