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Let me start by saying that I am risk averse when it comes to hillwalking. When blue skies and sunshine are forecast, I'll pack all my waterproofs just in case. When I put a belt on to hold up my trousers on heading to the hills, I tend to subconsciously also decide which one I could use to fashion a splint out of my walking poles if I happened to stumble and break my ankle.
So when I see that a walk has been given a 5-boot challenge grading on the Walkhighlands website, and involves "mild scrambling" I approach with caution. The Ring of Steall has been on my radar for a while, but it has taken a while for dry weather, clear skies and a day off work to all come together at the same time. This weekend I got my chance. This report is from the perspective of someone in their early 50s who decided that doing the 10 Mamores in one day was not going to happen.
After driving up from Glasgow the previous day I had enjoyed doing Stob Ban and Mullach nan Coirean as a wee warm up. Leaving the car at the car park at the end of Glen Nevis (which was busy late into the evening with tourists) I walked up to the Steall Meadows and camped near the falls. Once the day-trippers had all headed home it was a tranquil place to enjoy the late evening sun. It also meant that I can start early straight up the slopes of An Gearanach in the morning. The day started with low cloud in the glen, which I hoped would soon burn away.
- Low clouds first thing in the morning near the Steall Falls
- Steall Falls a gentle trickle and easily traversed
After some dry weather the Steall Falls were easily crossed, but the boggy ground on the other side doesn't look like it ever dries out. The path up to the summit of An Gearanach zig-zags gently enough. The sun was starting to rise above the mountains and you could see the shadow of the ridges ahead emerging. Before long I was lucky enough to get above the clouds and enjoy glorious views across to Ben Nevis which seemed to emerge from them.
- Climbing the grassy lower slopes of An Gearanach with the sun threatening to come out
- The ridge ahead slows reveals itself
- Ben Nevis glimpsed above the clouds
I was absolutely hypnotised by the views now, as the Mamores to the east, Ben Nevis across the glen and the route ahead all slowly emerged from the fast dissolving clouds. From the summit of An Gearanach I enjoyed the sight on Binnein Beag and Binnean Mor off to the east, and the dramatic arête of An Garbhanach up ahead.
- Summit cairn of An Gearanach, with Binnein Beag seen beyond
- The ridge ahead
This ridge had a couple of more challenging parts to negotiate, but there was always a clear route through, with plenty of footholds and handholds. I am no climber. Not at all. But with a bit of care, and nice dry rock, there were no issues. It gets steeper again towards Stob Coire a'Chàirn, but again without presenting any great fear to a feartie like me.
- Some of trickier parts of the ridge
- Looking ahead to the summit of Stob Coire a'Chàirn
- Looking back from the summit of Stob Coire a'Chàirn, the Grey Corries in the distance
- Looking ahead from the summit of Stob Coire a'Chàirn
The next stretch is pretty straight forward until the last ascent to the summit of Am Bodach, which was very dry and loose. I was glad to be scrambling up in this direction as I imagine descending it would be a bit more slippy. Back on solid ground I was able to enjoy the views across across Loch Leven and towards Loch Linnhe.
- Views from Am Bodach back towards the route I've just come up, and to Ben Nevis
- View from summit of Am Bodach, over Loch Leven
Three down one to go and the weather was becoming unseasonably warm by now. From the bealach before Sgòr an Iubhair you get a real sense of "the ring", with Ben Nevis opposite you and the ridges to your left and right. The Devil's Ridge is for the most part a great walk, which on a windless day like today with clear views all around felt quite invigorating. There is one tricky part of lumpy rock to negotiate, but I am happy to admit that I took the slight bypass to the left, which was straightforward. Soon the fourth summit is reached with its quartzite rock reminiscent of yesterday's summit at Stob Ban, which stands just to the west from here, contrasting with the reddish stone of Mullach nan Coirean beside it.
- Panoramic photo, with The Ring of Steall stretching to the left and right and Ben Nevis opposite
- Looking back at the Devil's Ridge from Sgùrr a'Mhaim
- Summit cairn of Sgùrr a'Mhaim
- Ben Nevis from Sgùrr a'Mhaim
It was all downhill from here, and it felt like an awful lot of downhill if I'm being perfectly honest. The path is clear all the way down, first through the quartzite scree, then the steep grassy slopes. It went on and on with that wee car park below refusing to get any closer. I knew that once I got to the bottom I still had to go all the way back to the falls. From the car park at Polldubh falls I took the riverside path to Paddy's Bridge. Then along the last 1500m of road to the car park at the end of the glen, before fighting my way past streams of people to gather up my tent. One last wobbly traverse of the cable bridge before heading home with a big smile on my face. The weather could not have been any better. The views were just glorious, and this was one of the best days out I've had in the hills in a long time.
- Looking back to the summit of Sgòrr a'Mhaim
- Descending towards that wee car park that got further away the more I descended
- The riverside path signposted to "Paddy's Bridge"
- The Steall Gorge from Paddy's Bridge
- Back to the Steall Falls, where it all began