KYQ4: Ring of Steall

The Devil's Ridge from Sgurr a' Mhaim

Route - Ring of Steall

Saturday 10 June 2023

Ascent: 1610 metres
Distance: 20 kilometres
Time: 6 hours 41 minutes

An Gearanach 982m 2hrs 4mins
An Garbhanach 975m 2hrs 22mins
Stob Coire a' Chairn 981m 3hrs 2mins
Am Bodach 1032m 3hrs 37mins
Sgurr an Iubhair 1001m 4hrs 2mins

Stob Choire a' Mhail 990m 4hrs
Sgurr a' Mhaim 1099m 4hrs 53mins

John had been staying in Caol, near Fort William, for a week to tick off some of his remaining Munros. I had planned to go up for a couple of days, but an old friend arranged to visit for a couple of days, and then Gregor and his partner moved in with me for a few weeks after the entry date to their new house was delayed. I was only left with Saturday. I drove up on a Friday evening, witnessing Rannoch Moor and Glencoe in the glorious hues of early summer. I called in at the excellent new M&S food outlet in Fort William to buy a salad for my evening meal. Keith had also arrived for the walk, and he and John were debating the route for the next day.

The Ring of Steall on the Mamores had been decided and, even though I had already climbed Sgurr a' Mhaim, I was pleased, and we agreed to do it clockwise. I parked my car at Achriabhach so we would have a lift to the Water of Nevis car park at the end of the walk, and continued in John's car. I had not been on the Ring of Steall since 1989, on a wintry March day when we had also climbed Mullach nan Coirean and Stob Ban. It was the first big walk on my first round of Munros, and we were hardly equipped for such a venture, but we were younger then. My next three outings on the Mamores had involved climbing all ten Munros on long days from either Kinlochleven or twice from Glen Nevis. From whichever starting point, it meant there was no need to ascend or descend Sgurr a' Mhaim and An Gearanach as part of the Ring of Steall.

I was castigated by the others for wanting to finish by 5pm, so I could drive home and watch the European Championship Final. Nevertheless, we decided to leave at 7am for a 7:30am start from the car park at the head of Glen Nevis. We were spot on the schedule, and the forecast was for perfect conditions with a south-easterly breeze to cool us during the heat of the day. Shorts and a T-shirt were all that was needed. My pullover, wind top and waterproof were merely passengers.

It was cool on the well-used path through the gorge up to the meadow below the Steall waterfall. I always welcome a couple of kilometres to settle in before the grind of a climb. We crossed the river by the Steall suspension bridge and walked along to the Steall Falls. Even at the end of two weeks of unusually dry weather, it was still impressive, evidence of the abundance of water held in the Mamores. We then began the relentless but enjoyable climb up An Gearanach. It is over 800 metres of ascent by a twisting path with the backdrop of Ben Nevis and the Grey Corries. There were two or three other groups on the ascent despite the early hour. We made good time and were on the summit by 9:35 a.m. The views of Ben Nevis and the Aonachs were as clear as I have ever witnessed. Sgurr a' Mhaim was showing off its anticline of rock strata on its eastern face.

The clarity of the views from An Gearanach of the more distant surrounding hills was equally stunning. After only a short stop for photos, we continued along the rocky ridge to the nearby top of An Garbhanach. We were passed by a runner attempting Ramsey's Round (24 Munros in 24 hours) and his pacer, who dropped off to gather some water below the ridge. Keith queried him about the schedule they were running and, when asked how he knew so much, Keith admitted that he had done it 30 years earlier. He earned kudos from the pacer for having beaten Ramsey's time by 3 minutes.

The climb over to Stob Coire a' Chairn was the easy part of the round. We decided to take a break for some food and drink before the longer climb to Am Bodach (the Old Man). It was a bit of a tease with an initial climb to a 909-metre peak and then a drop and further climb of 200 metres on a rocky path that had been a rock scramble when we first passed along this way 34 years ago. Am Bodach is a proper peak that you land on. It has no false summits or interminable convex slopes. Three women were about to leave; they had started on the Ring of Steall at 6:00 a.m. We had a friendly chat and took some photographs for them before another break; we were an hour ahead of the schedule that I had set for the walk.

A pleasant breeze had developed, and it made the long and easy descent towards Sgurr an Iubhair a pleasant amble. There were quite a few parties, including some runners coming the other way. A short, sharp climb takes you to the summit of Sgurr an Iubhair. It was classified as a Munro until the SMC relegated it although it has greater justification than quite a few Munros. We began the walk across the Devil's Ridge, not as difficult as it sounds at this time of the year, although the exposure in winter conditions is a different matter. It provided good sport with only a short section descending some ribbed rock requiring any scrambling. The final 120 metres climbing to Sgurr a' Mhaim was no problem; the psychological benefits of the final climb of the day made it seem easy. There were several other parties on the summit where we finished our food and soaked in the sunscapes before beginning the descent.

It should have been an easy end to a wonderful walk, but the steep, twisting path through scree and then grassy slopes along a path that was deeply scored into the hill was hard on the feet and legs. It took an hour and three-quarters to reach the road at Achriabhach, where a hill race had just finished. We spoke to the organisers, and it reignited the sense of excitement I always had when competing in hill races or mountain marathons. I drove John and Keith back to their car at the Water of Nevis car park. It was full beyond capacity, and I made a torturous seven-point turn that almost ended in reversing over the edge. I set off home just before 4pm. The going was slow in the glen, which was buzzing with visitors. After a stop for some drinks in Fort William, I was pleasantly surprised at a relatively quiet journey home. I had time for a shower, a beer and a meal before nodding off whilst watching Manchester City beat Iner Milan 1-0 in a tedious European Championship Final.