Ben More Assynt

Ben More Assynt
Ben More Assynt from Conival.
Highest point
Elevation	998 m (3,274 ft)
Prominence	835 m (2,740 ft) Ranked 26th in British Isles
Parent peak	Sgurr Mor
Listing	Munro, Marilyn, County top (Sutherland)
Naming
Translation	Big mountain of Assynt (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	Scottish Gaelic: [peiɲ ˈvoːɾ ˈas̪əɲtʲ]
Geography
Location	Assynt, Scotland
Parent range	Northwest Highlands
OS grid	NC317201
Topo map	OS Landranger 15, OS Explorer 442

Ben More Assynt (Gaelic: Beinn Mhòr Asaint) is a mountain in Assynt in the far north-west of Scotland, 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-north-east of the town of Ullapool. The name translates as "big mountain of Assynt", and with a height of 998 metres (3,274 ft) it is the highest point in the county of Sutherland.

The mountain lies in the east of Assynt, set apart from the area's better known and more dramatic (but lower) mountains such as Suilven. It is hidden from the traveller on the A837 road by the adjacent Munro of Conival, and the best views of it are obtained from nearby summits. The higher slopes of the mountain are capped by light coloured quartzite boulders, giving it a distinctive appearance.

Over 90 km² of land around Ben More Assynt have been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of their geological interest and rare plant species.

Ben More Assynt is situated on a ridge of high ground which runs roughly north to south on the east side of the A837 road near Inchnadamph. This ridge forms part of the main north–south watershed of Scotland, with drainage from the mountain reaching the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean on opposite sides of mainland Scotland. The mountain's eastern and southern slopes are drained by the River Oykel and its tributary, the River Cassley, which flow into the Dornoch Firth on Scotland's east coast. The River Traligill drains the western flanks through Loch Assynt to reach the Atlantic at Lochinver.

The mountain is connected to the neighbouring peak of Conival to the west by a lofty ridge with a low point of 880 metres. Since Conival lies in the way of the ascent from Inchnadamph, the two are almost invariably ascended together. Ben More Assynt also has a subsidiary "top" listed in Munro's Tables, called simply the South Top; situated one kilometre south of the summit, it is 960 metres high.