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THE MAMORES

Rubbing shoulders with the great mountain mass of Ben Nevis to the north and the grandeur of the Aonach Eagach and the Glencoe hills to the south, the Mamores promise much. They don’t disappoint. The 10 Munros and seven tops of this range can be tackled equally well from the Glen Nevis side or from Kinlochleven, and can be grouped together in many different ways to provide excellent ridge walking on red granite and interfolded white quartzite and schists. Deep corries fall away from the ridges at every turn. Fell runners will do all the peaks in a single day. Mere mortals will be happy to take longer. The range is split here into three superb outings, one from the Glen Nevis side and the other two from Kinlochleven, allowing the entire ridge to be covered in three days without undue strain.

ROUTE 5

Mullach nan Coirean (939m), Stob Ban (999m), Sgurr a’ Mhaim (1099m)

Start/Finish	footpath from road opposite the buildings at Polldubh
distance	15km
Ascent	1470m
Difficulty	exposed section on the Devil’s Ridge – may become dangerous in high wind
Time	7hrs
Maps	OS sheet 41; Explorer map 392; Harvey’s Superwalker map Ben Nevis; Area Map 1
Access	Hillphone: 01855 831511 (no stalking in this area)
Parking	car park by the bridge at Polldubh
Hostel	YHA Glen Nevis; Independent Glen Nevis
B&B/Hotel	Glen Nevis, Fort William
Camping	Glen Nevis campsite
Pronunciation	Mooluch nuh Yerrigen; Stob Ban; Skoor uh Vime
Translation	Summit of the Corries; White Peak; Peak of the Round Hill

This classic walk crosses three Munros and incorporates a wonderful variety of scenery and some excellent ridge walking, including the deliciously exposed Devil’s Ridge.

Opposite the buildings at Polldubh a gated forestry track winds gently up the hillside. Starting to the left of the track (14238 68360) a footpath takes a more direct line, rejoining the track just before its second sharp bend. Follow this track through the forest, passing a junction on the left, until some stone steps (13496 68455) lead up through an area of clear-fell. Follow this up to a fence which is crossed by a stile, then follow the fence over open rising ground until it turns abruptly east (13143 67128). From here the northeast ridge of Mullach is clearly defined and a path on its crest takes you past a cairned top (12325 66513) to Mullach nan Coirean’s main summit at 12238 66218.

Head southeast from the summit cairn until the round granite dome of Mullach narrows to a ridge once again. The ridge then rises over the South Top (13115 65470), followed by the white quartzite of another minor top (13911 65792) before veering south to the summit of Stob Ban, which is capped by Binnean quartzite (14778 65437) (3hrs 30mins).

From the summit of Stob Ban head south for 50m to pick up the path on the east ridge. The start (cairned) drops down quite abruptly. This path is followed right down the ridge until it crosses a stalker’s path coming up from the Old Military Road. Taking the north fork of this crossing will take you directly back to Polldubh. Instead, cross over this path to reach a little lochan which feeds the Allt Coire a’ Mhusgain. Here the ways diverge: one path passing to the north of the lochan rises directly to Stob Choire a’ Mhail; the other, passing to its south, leads to Sgor an Iubhair, which until 1997 was accorded the status of a Munro in its own right. It is worth taking in this extra top; to do so take the path to the southeast. After a short distance this path splits at 15969 65273. Take the left branch and work your way up the block-strewn landscape to the summit at 16526 65506 (4hrs 40mins).

Leaving the summit to the northwest, the ridge soon narrows to a knife-edged arête – this is the Devil’s Ridge. There are no particularly difficult moves on this section unless the path is banked with snow, but it provides a wonderful airy walk with exposure on both sides. Route-finding here is not a problem. If you think you’ve lost the path, check your altitude: you may just have fallen a few hundred metres. The path rises over a minor top, Stob Choire a’ Mhail, before eventually reaching the broad quartzite flanks of Sgurr a’ Mhaim (16466 66724) (5hrs 10mins).

Sgurr a’ Mhaim (Mamores) from Glen Nevis

The whole of Sgurr a’ Mhaim, which sits on a bed of schist, has been affected by a massive landslip in what are, geologically speaking, quite recent times. Making sure you avoid any slips of your own, descend to the northwest on white quartzite scree and chippings. These soon peter out and from this point on the path descends gently at first, then much more steeply back to Polldubh. Those with weak knees might prefer to do this circuit in the opposite direction as the descent from Sgurr a’ Mhaim is a bone-jarring exercise at the end of a long day. On the other hand many might feel that ascending such a path first thing in the morning is an unsavoury way to start the day.

ROUTE 6

Na Gruagaichean (1056m), An Gearanach (982m), Stob Coire a’ Chairn (981m), Am Bodach (1032m)