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 | An introduction to traversing the Aonach Eagach
Am Bodach 3094ft/943mMeall Dearg 3127ft/953mStob Coire Leith 3084ft/940mSgorr nam Fiannaidh 3173ft/967mWith many thanks to Irvine Butterfield who has supplied text and photos |
| The traverse of the Aonach Eagach is not an expedition to be lightly undertaken, for there is a marked degree of exposure at several points along the ridge. The rock-climbing is graded 'easy' but to the rambler this may seem a misnomer. There are two recognised routes to the ridge, the easiest being at the eastern end, where grass slopes behind the cottage at Allt-na-reigh rise to the summit of Am Bodach. At the western end, a rough path climbing from the Clachaig Hotel up the west side of the Clachaig Gully is no longer recommended. This involves 3000ft of punishing scree slopes, with much of the route now so badly eroded that the unstable stone is easily dislodged, and so easily catapulted into the chasm to the hazard of unseen climbers below. If seeking a short, sharp, ascent it is possible to tackle the grassy slopes of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh above Loch Achtriochtan which, though steep, provide a straightforward ascent to the western end of the ridge. |
| There appear to be several gullies falling to Glen Coe from the ridge, but any temptation to seek access to or from the arete other than at the ends of the chain should be firmly resisted, as most of the accidents this side of Glen Coe have been caused by walkers trying to avoid, or escape from the centre of the ridge. There is only one route from the ridge, a huge stone-shoot down a steep open gully to the east of Meall Dearg, running down a steep open gully to the road near Achtriochtan. This should only be used as a last desperate measure, as the scree is the most diabolical imaginable and the passage by no means easy. An east-west traverse is best, as the climb to Am Bodach is preferable to the grinding scree of Sgor nam Fiannaidh, and the improving vistas to the west are the most enchanting.Am Bodach and Meall DeargOpposite the car parking area, to the west of the cottage at Allt-na-reigh, look for a path which marks the start of the climb to Am Bodach by the grassy slopes of a broad south-east ridge. Turning northwards, the path continues as a steeper clamber of rockier slopes on the final rise to the summit cairn. To reach the crest to the north-west, follow the edge of crags to the left of the cairn, where, framed by the gully below, the grass-topped pinnacle of 'The Chancellor' may be seen. A path scratched in the turf, which drops on to an airy stance on the lip of the northern corrie, hints at the exposure to come. This is followed by another rock ledge which dips and twists to the south side of a narrow rock, where a downward step negotiates the head of a wide gully, whose dramatic shaft sweeps to the floor of Glen Coe. Here, the arete dips slightly and veers to the north, on the gradual pull to a cairn on the grassy hump of Meall Dearg, which looks west to an exciting prospect of the pinnacles.Meall Dearg from Caolasnacon (Loch Leven) Those wishing only to attain the summit of Meall Dearg by the easiest means should start from the bridge a little east of Caolasnacon on the south side of Loch Leven (verge parking near the bridge). From here there is a useful path (not shown on O.S. maps) along the northern margins of the Allt Gleann a' Chaolais to the head of the glen, with traces of a continuing path assisting the climb to the col between Garbh Bheinn and the northern ridge of Meall Dearg. The steeper pull to the cairn of Meall Dearg is straightforward and rewards with its expansive views eastwards to the Blackwater Reservoir and the Moor of Rannoch, and an unusual view of the pinnacles of the Aonach Eagach in bold silhouette. On return, walkers have the option of including the Corbett of Garbh Bheinn to complete a round of Gleann a' Chaolais. |
 | Buchaille Etive Mor from the north east ridge
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| The Crazy PinnaclesA line of fence-posts marches along the crest, which narrows beyond the first knoll where a well-trodden path is revealed. Two pinnacles are passed on the south side, a full 3000ft above the Glen Coe road. Just beyond a third pinnacle the path dips to a deep notch. At this point the exposure is quite marked, as the escape from the gap requires a move to the north side of a large rock blocking the ridge. Here an easy climb up a short chimney leads to an uneven pinnacle. This is followed by a delicate arete leading to a similar rocky knob, which is the first of two airy points on the most sensational part of the ridge. On its western edge this tower is a series of grassed knobbles of rock, and here the scramble becomes much easier as the path reasserts itself on the dip to a wider crest.Stob Coire Leith and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh Fence-posts are again reassuring companions on the long easy drag to the next cairn on the peak of Stob Coire Leith. To the west, the ridge levels out to give a relaxing walk to the final peak, Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. A route to the glen near Loch Achtriochtan can be found down steep grass south-south-east of this western summit (also a useful ascent route). Half a mile further west, easy-graded scree leads down to the north-westerly turn in the end of the ridge, which falls to the col at the foot of the Pap of Glencoe. From the gap, a path heads down the grassy flanks to the south-west to reach a track which, in turn, exits to the road (113583) mid-way between Glencoe village and the Clachaig Hotel. Those who attempt the eastern and western peaks in separate expeditions find that this route gives a less laboured western ascent than the alternatives, with an opportunity to visit the top of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, with a return by way of the short diversion to the summit of Sgorr na Ciche (Pap of Glencoe) for a last lingering look along the drift of Loch Leven. |
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