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ROUTE 9

Ledge Route

Start/Finish	North Face car park at Torlundy (NN 145 763)
Distance	7km/4½ miles (up only)
Total ascent	1100m/3600ft
Time	5½hr up
Terrain	Scramble Grade 1 on ledges and ridge

This is just magnificent. The scrambling reaches Grade 1 only at a couple of points, but the route is still serious because of its length and situation. It is fairly easy to find and follow, even in mist. However, snow lingering often to midsummer in Number 5 Gully requires a diversion (left of Moonlight Gully Buttress, not described here) which is rather trickier to find – or an ice axe, and possibly crampons. Snow can be observed from the CIC Hut, or in advance on the Internet (for details of webcams, see Appendix C).

For confident scramblers it’s a feasible descent route, provided you start from the correct cairn on Carn Dearg – coming from Ben Nevis it’s the second one, at 1214m (NN 1585 7210).

See Ben Nevis summit summary map. Start as for Route 8, onto the path beside Allt a’ Mhuilinn. Carry on up this path, which is well built up to the stream junction below the CIC Hut. Cross one stream to reach the hut.

From here, the way up ahead into Number 5 Gully should be visible. Directly opposite the hut, ascend a steep bank above the stream onto the toe of a long slope of gentle slabs. These can be walked up, with perhaps a little scrambling if wet. The slabs run up to big boulders at the foot of the imposing Carn Dearg Buttress. Here turn left up the crag base, then straight up on rough scree paths alongside the crag, into Number 5 Gully.

Number 5 Gully and Carn Dearg Buttress, Ben Nevis

Clamber up the bouldery gully bed with stream for 100 metres. Above here, the gully steepens, divides, and becomes gently rocky; don’t continue up it, but head to the right up a grassy terrace onto a gentle but somewhat exposed slab. This is ascended on the footholds provided by a crack slanting right.

At its top, follow a small path to the right along a grass ledge, with big drops below, for 30 metres. Now a grassy groove slants back up left; the groove itself is eroded to loose stones, so the easy scrambling on its left is preferable. After 30m of height gained you emerge at the top of the groove, and look down a steep slope back into Number 5 Gully.

Turn right up the ridgeline formed by the slope top, to pass to right of a tottery rock pillar, to a stony ledge with a viewpoint boulder.

Head straight up the ridgeline above, which is bouldery with easy scrambling. After 100 metres or so, the ridgeline has a vertical wall dropping on its left. Gradually you are forced nearer to the brink of this wall as the ridgeline narrows. This narrowing ends with a drop to a small notch. The obvious way is to follow the narrowing arête to its very end, becoming somewhat exposed, to descend down right, into the notch (see photo – upper scrambler in dark top); but if you don't fancy that, there are easier ways (see box).

ROUTES AVOIDING THE NOTCH DROP

Harder but less exposed

Five metres before the notch, take a groove down right: it’s steep, but with good well-worn holds. Reach the gravel gully below the notch.

The easiest option

Ten metres before the notch, descend to the right to find a narrow ledge with good handholds, traversing right, to the foot of the steep groove just described (see photo – lower scrambler in blue top).

Notch on Ledge Route, Ben Nevis

Continue up the blocky bouldery ridge. Rocky steepenings can be avoided on the right if desired, but always return to the crest. The crest levels, then a final tower is scrambled direct (good Grade 1) with a photogenic little arête to finish, or else bypassed on the left.

Arrive on the plateau at the 1214m cairn on Carn Dearg. This is the main cairn but not the main summit. Pass south around the head of Number 5 Gully, to the higher but less cairned 1221 summit. Strictly, this is ‘Carn Dearg North’ as Nevis has two tops called Carn Dearg. A shelter marked on old maps here has been removed.

Descend south around the plateau rim – the Mountain Track is visible to the right with its procession of folk. Pass the head of Number 4 Gully (which has a cairn with marker post), then ascend gently to pass the head of Number 3 Gully (which has a pinnacle in the top and a view down to CIC Hut), then trend right to join the Mountain Track just below MacLean’s Steep. Follow it past the head of Gardyloo Gully to Ben Nevis summit.

What next? Simplest is to descend the top part of the Mountain Track (Route 7) then past Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe’s outflow (Route 8). You could incorporate Meall an t-Suidhe (Route 11). More ambitiously, go down by way of the Carn Mor Dearg Arête (end of Route 8).