Four friends of mine are currently doing the "Three Peaks with a Twist" - cycling between the three.
Due to several reasons (non cyclists, work) we couldn't join them but we did offer to hire a van and take their bikes up on Friday night so they could get the train up to Fort William. We met up on the Ben Nevis North Face Car Park on Friday night ready for them to get an early start Saturday.
After much faffing about the lads got on their way in the morning and we drove round to Glen Nevis, chained their bikes up so they could descend via the tourist track (after heading up the CMD arete) and embarked on our own walk.
Setting off only at 9am, and having to pick up another lad (a non cyclist who just wanted to climb the Ben) afterwards we were pushed for time slightly but I thought we could do the Ring of Steall and maybe add the two Western most Mamores.
In the lead up to the event the forecast had got better and better and come the day itself it was obvious we were in for an outstanding day on the hills.
- After a short road walk and an entertaining wander through Steall Gorge we came to a more open section with Steall Falls and An Gearanach behind
- Me heading over the wire bridge - it does wobble in the middle but it's not too bad
- Dan following suit
- Steall Falls. With the big snow melt this proved much trickier to cross as all the boulders were covered in water and very slippy. We faffed about for ages going up and down looking for the best option to cross before deciding that it was either risk getting very wet, very early into the walk or wade.
We decided to wade.
- Aonach Beag and the Grey Cories
- After a steep climb on a fascinating path we reached the summit of An Gearanach and the route ahead made us forget all about our waterfall crossing woes from earlier
- The Devils Ridge on the other side of the Ring
- It's a great little scramble along the ridge to An Garbhanach. Looking back to An Gearanach with Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg
- The Eastern Mamores from Stob Coire a’ Chàirn after a short climb
- Back to An Garbhanach - the descent looks far tougher than it actually is from here
- Am Bodach now ahead and dominant
- A steep climb brought us to Am Bodach with the route round the rest of the Ring ahead of us
- First proper view of Stob Ban from Sgurr an lubhair - as others have said before it's a breathtaking mountain
- Heading along the Devils Ridge to Sgùrr a' Mhàim. Narrow but with a good path throughout.
- Sgùrr a' Mhàim with Ben Nevis towering behind. Looks like it's been clear all day up there as well so the cycling lads will have a had a great day as well.
- Looking back to Am Bodach and Sgurr an lubhair
- There's Stob Ban again
- Heading back along the Devils Ridge
- Stob Ban getting closer now - another steep climb
- Stob Ban summit looking ahead to the more gentle ascent up Mullach nan Coirean
- Mullach nan Coirean getting closer
- Beinn a'Bheithir (I think) from Mullach nan Coirean
- looking back at the rest of the Mamores
- Success - now we just had the bone crunching descent to do and to pick up our mate from the Nevis Inn (he'd been there an hour or so) before driving to Tyndrum to meet up with the cyclists!
