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INTRODUCTION

‘Glen Coe, Glen Coe, it’s the place to go…’

The best of walking is ridge walking. Swoop downwards from the peak, level off along a rocky crest, then rise again to another summit; and then do the same thing again, four or five or even eight times over. Let the ridge sides drop steeply 900m to a green valley where a river gleams among the alder trees; and beyond the valley another steep ridge, and another, and the sea reaching silver-grey into the furthest west. For added interest let the ridge top be composed of three different sorts of stone. And you’ve started to understand why the area from Ben Nevis southwards to Glen Coe is some of the finest mountain walking there is in the UK.

I put ‘some of’ so as not to annoy the lovers of Snowdonia, or the English Lakes, or Skye, or Torridon. There’s a lot more of Lochaber than there is of Snowdonia; it’s one and a half times as large as Lakeland. It’s a whole lot easier to get to than Skye. Still not convinced? In that case…

Follow me first onto one of the less celebrated summits, Ben Starav at the bottom of Glen Etive. Its long ridge (Route 73) is stony with moss, and leads into an easy scramble over blobby boulders of grey granite. But now drop into the green valley on the left and enjoy another aspect of it all. Steep grass and granite slabs shut out the sky. Below the path a gloomy ravine, with the flash of a waterfall. And at the valley foot, under green birch and dark pine, the cuckoo calls, and white water slides over granite that mysteriously is now coloured pink.

Next, let’s visit Bidean nam Bian. The rocks now are volcanic, grey-blue andesite and pinky-grey rhyolite, all of it great to climb on if you’re a rock climber. Enter Bidean up one of its three ravines, each with some of that great climbing rock hanging impressively overhead. It’s steep, and it’s gloomy, and it gets steeper, until all at once you emerge onto Bidean’s ridge, with bright sky around you.

Bidean nam Bian (Section 7), seen across Loch Leven

Granite and volcanic rock; the third rock is called quartzite. It’s flat but cracked, like a city pavement after earthquakes. Follow it along the Grey Corries, where its sharp edges will slash your boots, but its flat slabs give almost-easy walking above the precipices.

By now you’re getting tired. So take a break; and come back in February or March. The eroded path along the Mamores is gone, and instead a snow edge swoops like a breaking wave, the snow crisp and crunchy for your crampons. In the clear cold air of a classic winter day, views are southwards over half a dozen ranges to the dome of Ben Lomond.

At the bottom of every steep-sided ridge there’s a steep-walled valley. Some of those valleys contain the A82 (alas, how even lovelier would be Glen Coe without its busy road). But the others offer long through routes, with rugged paths and smooth Landrover tracks. A comfortable track leads between the jaws of the Lairig Leacach, and down past small waterfalls while looking up at Ben Nevis and the Mamores. Then it’s down a river whose alder-shaded bank has green levels for the tent. An even lonelier glen – but still with a good footpath – leads you to a lochan and bothy that are completely out of it. And however bleak the Blackwater, the last 4 miles, through a deep, steep glen of beautiful birchwoods, will leave you at Kinlochleven longing for the next really long walk with the big rucksack. Just as soon as your feet and shoulders have recovered from the first one.

Clockwise from left: dwarf cornel, golden saxifrage, dwarf azalea

Getting there, getting about, food and shelter

The Nevis Glencoe area is perhaps Scotland’s best for real walks reached without the use of a car.

Travellers from afar should aim for Glasgow Airport, which has direct bus links by Citylink coach to Glencoe village and Fort William. From within the UK, aim for Glasgow rail or bus station. The Citylink coach is particularly useful, a lovely run past Loch Lomond to serve Bridge of Orchy (for Inveroran Hotel), Kings House, Glencoe village, Fort William, and Spean Bridge on its way towards the Isle of Skye. The West Highland Railway is even more beautiful, its crossing of Rannoch Moor featuring in various Harry Potter films.

Accommodation is widely available, from cosy old inns to both SYHA and independent hostels, bunkhouses and camp sites. There is also a right of responsible wild camping anywhere in the countryside.

Buachaille Etive Mor (Route 55)

For those visiting without the benefit of a nasty tin box on wheels, I commend Kinlochleven. Reasonably easily reached by bus, and with useful facilities such as shops, it has a wide range of good walks, from riverside to mountaintop, right from the village edge. From there a short bus ride lets you relocate to Fort William or Glen Coe.

The alternative, for those with strong shoulders, is to arrive somewhere in the south (Dalmally, Bridge of Orchy) and trek north along the valleys – stopping off at Kinlochleven for a hot bar meal and a night in a bed – then onwards for Spean Bridge or Fort William. Such adventurers will note the quite frequent bothies, marked on the overview maps with a small hut symbol.

Details of local food, transport and information are in Appendix C.

Oh, Sir Hugh Munro

An oddity of hillwalking in Scotland is that it takes place almost entirely above the 900m contour line. Sir Hugh Munro in 1892 listed the hills above 3000ft (914.4m) – after revisions there are currently 282 of them, of which 44 are in the area of this guidebook. Many hillwalkers are engaged in visiting these 282, and they are indeed worthwhile hills to visit. But the consequence is that the well-trodden ways and rebuilt paths are on these, rather high, hills. The heights of 914.3m and below are largely pathless, and their lesser altitude usually means denser and tougher vegetation. Accordingly, the lower hills are interesting, and unfrequented; but they are not easy. The less difficult of them, and the most interesting, are included here.

The ‘standard routes’ up the Munros are detailed in several existing guidebooks, including Steve Kew’s Walking the Munros Vol 1 (Cicerone). So, while I have described them here briefly, I have also sought out the interesting ways around the back, the unfrequented corries, the more demanding rugged ridgelines from the less convenient car parks.

But on the finest of them all I’ve left the choice to you. Bidean is a hill to visit many times by many different routes; and so, in the south, is Ben Cruachan. The Mamores is one great ridge of many mountains: where you go up and come down depends on how much of it you want to do on a given day. The Black Mount’s great complex sprawl also deserves to be explored in detail.

For more serious scrambling, the area is inspiringly described in Noel Williams’ Scrambles in Lochaber. My own copy is now extremely battered! Here I have included various tough walking routes involving rock, but just two of the easiest and most spectacular scrambles: the magnificent Ledge Route on Ben Nevis, and the Zigzags onto Bidean nam Bian (Routes 9 and 63). Here is also the harder, but unmissable, scramble of the Aonach Eagach ridge above Glen Coe (Route 52). If you like them as much as I do, get hold of Noel’s book and take an extra fortnight off.

Easy rocks above the Zigzags of Gearr Aonach, Bidean nam Bian (Route 63), one of three scrambles that sweet-talked their way into this walking guide

Walking conditions

For low-level walking, Scotland used to offer only the plod through the bog or the smooth and stultifying forest road through the spruce. The south of the area is still like that. However, Kinlochleven has an excellent little network of scenic paths; Glen Nevis has a more variable selection. Some are waymarked and signposted, some not; it’s a good idea to carry a compass and keep a general idea of which way is the road and which way is vast and pathless wilderness.

Walking above raised beaches on the west coast of Kerrera island (Route 99)

The mid-level hills are more demanding. They tend to offer arduous half-days, somewhat tougher but less rockily rewarding than the higher ground. Chase after them though for good views achieved in solitude, or on a windy day or one with poor-quality soggy snow on the bigger hills.

On mountains of 900m and upwards, bare rocks and stones replace the clinging heather or grassy tufts. Or else you’re on a path; popular ways lead to all the Munro summits. The high ground may be comparatively easy but it is also serious. On the ridges of Bidean nam Bian you’re several hours’ walk from any shelter, and that walk will involve finding your way down between crags.

Fancy backpacking, but not sure how it all fits together? Worried you might pack too little gear into the big rucksack – or, even worse, too much? The treks and through routes are full-on in terms of big scenery, lochs and rivers, and real remote country. But at the same time they are fairly easy-going in terms of tracks and footpaths, and a couple of bothies just in case you did manage to lighten your pack by leaving behind the tent poles.

But let’s be hopeful and suppose you remember the tent poles (and even the tent itself), get the weight below 25lb/12kg without leaving out anything that really matters, start early, and keep the speed sensibly low. Then Glen Coe and Glen Nevis could turn you from a boring Munro-bagger into a backpacker for ever.

Within the various sections, the through routes are described from south to north so as to get the bad weather beating on your back. In the northern part of the area, routes web in and out around Corrour station at the edge of Rannoch Moor. The overview maps let you link them into expeditions of up to a week.

These overview maps also mark deer-stalking estates. In Scotland there is a legal right of access to virtually all open country, provided that access is taken responsibly. In certain areas, responsible access means – during three months of autumn – adapting your walking so as not to disturb deer stalking. Over Ben Nevis itself, and in Glen Coe, there is free access year-round; in places like Black Mount and Etive, where deer are hunted for sport, helpful phone lines or agreed routes are available. Full details are in Appendix B.

Wild camping below Castle Ridge on the exciting side of Ben Nevis (Route 10)

When to go

April is still winter on the summits, but low-level routes already offer good walking then and in May. The leaves are breaking and birds are at their noisiest. Low-level routes are also excellent in October as the birch leaves turn gold.

May and June are enjoyable at all altitudes. July and August can be hot and humid, with less rewarding views and midges infesting the glens. West Highland midges can be pretty grim; the trick is to keep moving, and when you stop, stop high.

Midges hang on until the first frost, normally some time in September. October often brings clear air and lovely autumn colours. In between times there’ll be gales. Deer stalking (mid-August to mid-October) causes only minor disturbance to hillwalking in this area; with a little care and consultation, you can have hill days here during the stalking season more readily than anywhere else in Scotland (see Appendix B).

Winter is a time of short days and often foul weather. Snow often lies on the high tops from December to April, with patches in the corries obstructing some routes even into June. Well-equipped walkers skilled in navigation and with ice axe love the winter most of all, for the wonderful crisp snow along the ridges of Bidean and the 100km views through the winter-chilled air.

The grand winter ridge of Ben Starav (Route 73)

WEATHER AND SNOW CONDITIONS

The most useful and accurate Internet forecast is at Mountain Weather Information Systems www.mwis.org.uk. This site has links to snow reports from various Fort William climbers and guides. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service issues forecasts of snow conditions and avalanche risk daily for Glencoe and for Lochaber (Ben Nevis area) from December through to Easter at www.sais.gov.uk.

A webcam for Ben Nevis is at visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/webcam. For Glen Coe, see the Meall a’ Bhuiridh ski area (or not, if the cloud’s down) at www.glencoemountain.co.uk/webcams.html.

Safety in the mountains

In Glen Coe and Lochaber you’re usually within a few hours of a road; but the downward ground may be steep with crags. Safety and navigation in the mountains is best learnt from companions, experience, and perhaps a paid instructor; such instruction is outside the scope of this book. Those experienced in smaller, less steep hills will need some extra fitness and endurance, and a level of map expertise that enables you to get away safely when the headwind that’s cutting you off from your descent route is also going to shred your map should you attempt to unfold it.

The international mountain distress signal is some sign (shout, whistle, torch flash or other) repeated six times over a minute, followed by a minute’s silence. The reply is a sign repeated three times over a minute, followed by a minute’s silence. To signal for help from a helicopter, raise both arms above the head and then drop them down sideways, repeatedly. If you’re not in trouble, don’t shout or whistle on the hills, and don’t wave to passing helicopters.

To call out the rescue, phone 999 from a landline. From a mobile, phone either 999 or the international emergency number 112: these will connect you via any available network. Reception is good on most summits and ridges, but absent in places without direct sightlines to Fort William, Glencoe village or the mast behind Kings House. Sometimes a text message can get through when a voice call can’t. For this you must pre-register your phone with the emergencySMS service (www.emergencysms.org.uk).

Given the unreliable phone coverage, it is wise to leave word of your proposed route with some responsible person (and, of course, tell that person when you’ve safely returned). Youth hostels have specific forms for this, as do many independent hostels and B&Bs. You could also leave word at the police stations at Glencoe or Fort William.

Being lost or tired is not sufficient reason for calling the rescue service, and neither, in normal summer weather, is being benighted. However, team members I’ve talked to say not to be too shy about calling them: they greatly prefer bringing down bodies that are still alive…

There is no charge for mountain rescue in Scotland – teams are voluntary, financed by donations from the public, with a grant from the Scottish Executive and helicopters funded by the Department for Transport. You can make donations at youth hostels, tourist information centres (TICs) and many pubs.

Maps

The mapping used on lower walks in this book is from the Ordnance Survey’s Landranger series at 1:50,000 (enlarged in Routes 49 and 58). For high mountain walks, too, these maps were for about 40 years the only ones available, and are perfectly satisfactory: Sheet 41 is Ben Nevis and Glen Coe with part of Black Mount and Glen Etive; the rest of Black Mount and Glen Etive, southwards to Ben Cruachan, are on Sheet 50 (Glen Orchy) – annoyingly, the two sheets don’t overlap.

The Harveys Ben Nevis British Mountain Map, at 1:40,000 scale, covers the whole area as far south as Loch Tulla and the head of Loch Etive. Just 15 of the routes here (notably, Cruachan) aren’t on it. It is beautifully clear and legible, marks paths where they actually exist on the ground, and is made of plastic so robust that one lightweight gear guru uses it as his groundsheet.

Heading south along Beinn Fhada (Route 65)

For detailed exploration of crags and corries and pathless boulder slopes, you will be helped by the extra contour detail at 1:25,000 scale. The two Harveys Superwalker XT25 maps ‘Ben Nevis’ and ‘Glen Coe’ score very highly. They cover much the same ground as the Mountain Map, and overlap conveniently, so that Kinlochleven is on both. Also at 1:25,000 is the Explorer series of the Ordnance Survey. These maps have excellent contour detail on the lower ground, but many of the summits are so obscured with crag-marks that the contour detail is almost illegible. Harveys also offer an A4-sized Ben Nevis summit map at 1:12,500. This is equivalent to the summit enlargement on their 1:25,000 map with its useful addition of 100-metre grid lines for GPS users.

I’d suggest the Ben Nevis Mountain Map, with Landranger Sheet 50 (Glen Orchy) for the far south around Cruachan. But for ambitious mountain explorations, the Harvey Superwalker is preferable.

Compass and GPS

A compass is a very useful aid in mist, even if your skills only extend to ‘northwest, southeast’ rather than precision bearings. Magnetic deviation is about 1° west (2016): to convert a map bearing to a compass one, add 1. No magnetic rocks have been found in this area; it’s you that’s wrong, not the compass!

GPS receivers should be set to the British National Grid (known variously as British Grid, Ord Srvy GB, BNG, or OSGB GRB36). GPS readings are normally good within 10m, and I have given 8-digit (10m accuracy) grid references at various tricky points, such as where you turn down off a ridge. I have recorded these on the hill, checking for plausibility against a 1:25,000 map afterwards. I have found GPS less reliable on steep slopes, such as the corries of Bidean, with a smaller sky in sight, and poor in the Nevis Gorge; such readings should be regarded with some caution. Somewhere on the gadget, if you press the correct buttons, you can find the degree of inaccuracy. The GPS readings are supplementary; this book is designed to be used without a GPS.

Meall a’ Bhuiridh (Route 82)

Using this guide

A glance ahead into the book will show two different sorts of mapping. The low-level and mid-level routes have 1:50,000 mapping; this scale is large enough for use on the actual walk. The linear through-route walks are on the overview maps at the beginning of the book; the mountain routes have similar hand-drawn sketch maps at a larger scale. These sketches are not sufficient for route-finding on the actual mountaintop. A full-sized walkers’ map is needed so that you know not just the route you’re walking, but also the bad-weather escape route which may take you into a different glen altogether.

Each of the Munros (3000ft/914m mountains) has its well-worn ‘standard route’. That will be the quickest and most convenient – and fairly straightforward – route, but usually not the most interesting. I have pointed out those routes in the preambles, and they are listed in several guidebooks, including Steve Kew’s Walking the Munros Vol 1. However, I’ve concentrated on what I consider the most rewarding routes for each hill. These may also be a little more demanding, as they seek out the steeper scenery and avoid the flat Landrover track.

But for the very finest hills I have left the choice to you. The Grey Corries, the Mamores, and the Black Mount; Bidean and Ben Cruachan: these are hills you will want to ascend lots of times, by many different routes, or ranges where only you can decide how much to do, once you’re up. For these I have given a summit summary, with the standard route and the adventure around the back, the slightly rocky scramble and the long, long walk in from somewhere else altogether.

Many of the mountain routes start off along one of the low or mid-level ones. Accordingly, the starts of high-level routes are marked (in green) on the 1:50,000 mapping of the lower ones.

At the start of each walk there is a route information box that gives the start and finish point, distance, ascent, approximate time require to complete the route, the maximum altitude gained and an indication of the terrain involved. There is an icon showing the type of route: low-level, mid-level, mountain or trek. The difficulty indicators are explained in the panel below. The length indicators correspond to the approximate times given in the route information box: one square is up to 4 hours, two squares up to 6 hours, with the full five squares for walks of over 10 hours – those could also be enjoyed over two days using a tent or bothy. The approximate times are based on 1 hour for 4 horizontal km or for 400m of height gained, with extra time where the ground is particularly steep or rough. They’ll be about right, including brief snack stops, for a moderately paced party. (Note there are no length indicators in the summit summary routes as they are uphill only.)

Slabby granite below Meall Tarsuinn (Route 76)

On the treks and through routes, I’ve used the same calculation of 4km per hour for the ‘going time’. These walks can sometimes be done as day walks with a light pack. When done with a load, the calculated time should be considered to exclude lunch and other stops. The length in days supposes 8 hours of actual walking.

Where a bus or train can be used to link the two ends of a linear route, or to go up one route and come down another, I’ve noted this at the routes concerned. Other public transport information is in Appendix C.

In old numbers, 600ft was a vertical distance, while 200yds was horizontal. I’ve used a similar convention, so that 600m is an altitude or height gain, while 600 metres is along the ground. I use ‘track’ (rather than ‘path’) for a way wide enough for a tractor or Landrover; the exception here is the Mountain Track on Ben Nevis, as this new name for the Pony Path appears on many maps and leaflets.

Finally, the ‘standard route’ up a hill is the convenient and well-trodden one featured in guidebooks like Steve Kew’s Walking the Munros. Thus the Mountain Track is the ‘standard route’ up Ben Nevis. The ranger for Blackmount has determined that 90 per cent of walkers would be content to be restricted to such routes and no others. If that figure drops as a result of this book, the Blackmount ranger may not like it – but I shall be very pleased.

Aonach Dubh from Clachaig Inn (Route 59)