We looked for a way to reach the 100 mark and Johnny reach his sixtieth on the same day, the Ring of Steal was the choice for such a momentous day. Jim McMenemy a Compleater offered to tag along and as a bonus even offered to drive. For us this was a result, it meant all 3 of us could take a hip flask (sorry for what you had to put up with on the return Jim) and on top of that Jim actually knew the route we'd be taking.
Jim picked us up at 07.00 and off we headed for the car park in Glen Nevis, the Gods were looking down on us, good clear skies and enough snow cover to add some character to the whole area, even Ben Nevis was clear on various occasions during the day and between hail showers. The first test of the day was the steel bridge, the river was passable with a bit of care but we chose to do the bridge anyway.
The path was a bit wet around the Falls of Steal but when we actually started heading up the hill the path was quite good for most of the way, eventually we hit snow which made the going a wee bit harder than it needed to be but we only had our crampons on for a wee while, all the way through the walk the snow was soft enough to walk on comfortably.
What a day we had stunning views and almost perfect weather made it a great day out well worth the 15 hour day it became between leaving and returning home. Weather permitting we'll back next week for the next 4.
Warning
Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.