Central Highlands
Ben Alder Weather
Mountain forecast and current conditions · summit 1148m
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 06:48
- Sunset
- 19:38
- Civil dawn
- 06:10
- Civil dusk
- 20:17
NOAA Solar Calculator · 15 September 2026
About the weather here
Ben Alder (1,148m) is one of the remotest Munros in Scotland — a huge plateau hill above Loch Ericht with no road within about 20km. Most people reach it on foot or by bike from Dalwhinnie, from Corrour station, or from Loch Rannoch, and most make it an overnight. The weather matters more here than on a roadside hill for one reason: whatever arrives, you are a long way from the car.
What to expect
Ben Alder sits on the watershed between the wet west and the drier Cairngorms, and gets a share of both. Fronts coming up the Great Glen reach it with most of their rain intact, while easterlies can bring cold, clear, hard conditions that make the plateau a fine place to be. The summit plateau is big enough to generate its own cloud, and the long approaches mean the weather you set out in is rarely the weather you finish in.
Wind exposure
High. The summit is a broad plateau above 1,100m with steep ground falling east into the Garbh Choire and the Bealach Breabag. There is no shelter on top and very little on the approaches, which cross open moorland and loch shore for hours at a time.
Winter conditions
No SAIS forecast covers Ben Alder — the nearest are Creag Meagaidh to the north and Lochaber to the west, and neither describes this ground. In winter that is a real constraint rather than a technicality: you are judging snow stability yourself, on corniced plateau edges, several hours from the road. The approaches themselves are the bigger winter problem, with river crossings, deep snow on the track and a short daylight window.
Outside the SAIS network. No Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast covers Ben Alder; SAIS forecasts six areas only. In winter, judge snow stability on the hill from first principles.
Official forecasts
Always check an official mountain forecast before setting out. Current conditions displayed above are from the Open-Meteo API and are indicative only.
Hills in this area
| Hill | Height |
|---|---|
| Beinn Bheoil | 1019m |
| Geal-charn | 1131m |
| Aonach Beag | 1116m |
| Carn Dearg | 1034m |
Frequently asked questions
- How remote is Ben Alder?
- About 20km from the nearest road at Dalwhinnie, Corrour or Loch Rannoch. Most people bike the track in or make it an overnight trip. It is a long way to walk out on a bad ankle in bad weather, which is the fact that should shape the day.
- Is there an avalanche forecast for Ben Alder?
- No. Ben Alder sits outside all six SAIS areas, and this page says so rather than pointing at Creag Meagaidh or Lochaber. When snow is lying you are assessing the plateau edges and corries yourself.
- Which mountain forecast covers Ben Alder?
- The MWIS West Highlands forecast, which names Ben Alder in its area. The Met Office mountain forecast gives summit-level conditions. A Dalwhinnie village forecast tells you about the drive, not the plateau.
- What is the weather like on the Ben Alder plateau?
- Cloudier and far windier than the glens below, with snow lying into spring on the east-facing ground. The plateau is high and broad enough to sit in its own cloud while the loch shore is clear.
Weather for other locations
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