Ring of Steall - A fool falls in
Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 6:02 pmThis being one of the great set-piece walks, we had added it to our to-do list last year. Having driven down from Torridon on the 4th and stopping at the Glen Nevis Hostel we could get a full days walking in. As we took almost exactly the WH routes I will only stick to a few notes.
The weather dry and cool with cloud base at about 1100m. We parked at lower falls and walked along road to upper car park. There were a lot of wild campers in the Glen, just waking up. Up the Nevis gorge, into flat open valley which always comes as a surprise and over the wire bridge; past the hut and then approach to the Steall falls. The whole area around the falls was wet and we picked our way across the boggy area. The falls were not is spate but just enough water to wet the rocks. Ben got across fine but I went in up to my knees sliding off a rounded rock. My boots eventually dried out about 2;00 o’clock.
The area beyond the falls was even more of a quagmire so I decided to run for it, being soaked already, it certainly didn't make me any wetter. In retrospect we should have waded the river beyond the wire bridge as two scramblers on our route did (one had previously fallen in so knew better this time). I usually carry beach shoes for such a necessity, but the bridge seemed so tempting, having crossed it on trips in the 90’s and 00’s but gone no further than the falls, this time it would be different.
The zig zag route up the North side of A Gearanach was on a poor quality eroded path, one of the most difficult stretches of the walk. Given the popularity of the walk and the fact we make a voluntary contribution to the car parking I would have hoped some money could be found to improve the paths at both ends of this walk. Still the rest of the walk was superb; the scramble over An Garbhanach was straightforward, the Munro’s we walked up without incident, the Devil’s Ridge exposed but comfortable (clearly the Devil was having an off day), the worst bit an obstructive vertical slab that could be climbed or bypassed, depending on your capability . A lot of ascent but nicely spread out over the six hills. Stob ban looked magnificent (one more for the list). The long slope down Sron Gurr a Mhain was gruelling the upper sections quartzite rubble and the lower section boggy but we got back to the car in time for dinner (always our main priority) and were in a fit enough state to drive home the next day.
For the whole week we had totalled 9 Munros and ascended 5546m; my 2 year old boots were wrecked but, all in all, it was a great week. We’ll be back for more, and have now added the rest of the Mamores to our list.
Has anyone tried the route from Waters of Nevis to Binnien Bearg as an approach to the Eastern round 4?
- Man on a wire 2005
- "i think this is where we should cross in 2020"
- Fool on a wire 2020
- Ben crosses in 2020
The weather dry and cool with cloud base at about 1100m. We parked at lower falls and walked along road to upper car park. There were a lot of wild campers in the Glen, just waking up. Up the Nevis gorge, into flat open valley which always comes as a surprise and over the wire bridge; past the hut and then approach to the Steall falls. The whole area around the falls was wet and we picked our way across the boggy area. The falls were not is spate but just enough water to wet the rocks. Ben got across fine but I went in up to my knees sliding off a rounded rock. My boots eventually dried out about 2;00 o’clock.
- Steall falls just before the fool falls in
- The dark green are to the left of the river Nevis is bog
The area beyond the falls was even more of a quagmire so I decided to run for it, being soaked already, it certainly didn't make me any wetter. In retrospect we should have waded the river beyond the wire bridge as two scramblers on our route did (one had previously fallen in so knew better this time). I usually carry beach shoes for such a necessity, but the bridge seemed so tempting, having crossed it on trips in the 90’s and 00’s but gone no further than the falls, this time it would be different.
- The path up An Gearanach
- Looking back North from An Gearanach
The zig zag route up the North side of A Gearanach was on a poor quality eroded path, one of the most difficult stretches of the walk. Given the popularity of the walk and the fact we make a voluntary contribution to the car parking I would have hoped some money could be found to improve the paths at both ends of this walk. Still the rest of the walk was superb; the scramble over An Garbhanach was straightforward, the Munro’s we walked up without incident, the Devil’s Ridge exposed but comfortable (clearly the Devil was having an off day), the worst bit an obstructive vertical slab that could be climbed or bypassed, depending on your capability . A lot of ascent but nicely spread out over the six hills. Stob ban looked magnificent (one more for the list). The long slope down Sron Gurr a Mhain was gruelling the upper sections quartzite rubble and the lower section boggy but we got back to the car in time for dinner (always our main priority) and were in a fit enough state to drive home the next day.
- Looking South the An Garbhanach
- Start of the scramble
- Scrambling
- Stob Corie a Chaim from the North
- An Gearanach from the South
- Sgorr an Iubhair, Devil's Ridge and Sgurr a Mhaim
- Devil's Ridge, notch at right end is the tricky bit
- Sgorr an Iubhair - not quiet a Munro
- Am Bodach - the steep bit is to the right side of cliffs - rough and blocky.
- Old man on the Old Man aka Fool on the Hill
- Young man on the Old Man
- Stob Ban - the steep bit
- The Devil's Ridge from Iubhair
- Starting up the Devil's Ridge,
- along the top
- and a bit of scrambling.
- Bypass on West side of the tricky bit
- and more bypass
- Ben takes the direct route ...
- over the top
- Looking back to the tricky bit
- Last part of the Devil's ridge
- The Devil's Ridge viewed from the North
- South spur of Sgurr a Mhaim with the bealach to Stob Ban on right
- Northwest spur of Sgurr a Mhaim
- Quartzite
- Sgurr a Mhaim from the Northwest
- The long way down into Glen Nevis
- 'The Path'
For the whole week we had totalled 9 Munros and ascended 5546m; my 2 year old boots were wrecked but, all in all, it was a great week. We’ll be back for more, and have now added the rest of the Mamores to our list.
Has anyone tried the route from Waters of Nevis to Binnien Bearg as an approach to the Eastern round 4?
