Little Wyvis and Ben Wyvis Ascent : 1300m, distance : 18km
Little Wyvis, a Corbett peak immediately south of Ben Wyvis, can easily be added into the main route.
Ben Wyvis and all its tops Ascent : 1700m, distance : 26km
Extend the day by staying high up, bagging the northern tops and getting fine views over the Cromarty Firth.
Head in from Dingwall, Strathpeffer or Evanton on various paths and tracks
Little Wyvis and Ben Wyvis
Ascent : 1300m, distance : 18km
Little Wyvis is the Corbett peak immediately south of Ben Wyvis and can easily be added into the main route. It is possible to start from Garbat as described below. Alternatively a route heads straight up a track from the main road (signs will be going up soon to help hillwalkers).
From the Ben Wyvis car-park head up to the end of the Forestry Commission land as described in the main route. Cross the Allt a'Bhealaich Mor, which can usually just be jumped, then head south up thick grass and heather. Reach the track, cross it and pick up a path to follow to the summit of Little Wyvis.
Return towards the bealach, then turn and head east over easy ground to Little Wyvis's ne top, Tom na Caillich. Keep roughly east, the crags marked on the map are easily avoided, then descend to the damp ground at the foot of An Cabar. Head directly up to An Cabar, then up to Ben Wyvis's trig point as described in the main route on the left.
Return back to An Cabar, then head west to pick up the main path to return to the Ben Wyvis car-park.
Ben Wyvis and all its tops
Ascent : 1700m, distance : 26km
Glas Leathad Mor on Ben Wyvis doesn't take much effort on a fine day, so extend the day by staying high up, bagging the northern tops.
From the Ben Wyvis car-park near Garbat, head up to the summit trig point as described in the main route.
From the summit, head north-north-east downhill on a path to the next bealach. Climb up to the 900 contour, then continue nne, by-passing Tom a'Choinnich. Follow the wide ridge north-east, then east. The ground gets slightly bouldery as the rate of ascent increases. Climb up to the rise (at 900m), then head over pleasant terrain to Glas Leathad Beag at 928m. If you want an even better view over Loch Glas, head a bit further to Meall nan Bradan.
Return for 3km and head up Tom a'Choinnich. From the small cairn, turn right (north-west) and head down a path through somme scree to Carn Gorm. Next head east-south-east over ever thickening heather, to pick up a faint path following the burn into the forest. Pick up the forestry track to follow down to the road and back to the car-park.
Ben Wyvis from the south-east
It is possible to come into Ben Wyvis from Dingwall, Strathpeffer or Evanton to the south and south-east. A bike would be handy as some of the distance is on cyclable tracks. Though not much longer than coming in from the west, particularly if top-bagging, these starting points have one main drawback in that you'll need OS Landranger Map 21 and 26 for the lower slopes and access. I've not personally gone in this way, but friends have and recommend approaching from the south-east. If you need details, try the Pocket Mountains book "Northern Highlands" by Nick Williams (see links above).
