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Sunkissed at Steall

Sunkissed at Steall


Postby Jaxter » Mon May 29, 2017 9:12 pm

Route description: The Ring of Steall, Mamores

Munros included on this walk: Am Bodach, An Gearanach, Sgùrr a' Mhàim, Stob Coire a' Chàirn

Date walked: 26/05/2017

Time taken: 8.4 hours

Distance: 18.9 km

Ascent: 1784m

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I had errands in fort William on Friday and figured it would be a shame not to climb a hill while I was there. Plenty of options there, I had a couple of plans in the works but with errands quickly sorted and the weather excelling itself it was time for Plan A 8)

Negotiating my way down Glen Nevis, I found a very full car park but managed to squeeze on the end. Found a stream to top up my water and off I went :thumbup:

It was just before 11 and already very warm and I was grateful for the tree cover initially. It was an easy path down the glen and I was passing plenty of people who were out enjoying the sun from the ground and without grander plans.

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Soon enough I was out of the trees and into the sun. Glen Nevis had opened out ahead of me and I could see the bridge ahead. There was a man and a group ahead of me....he walked across a shallow bit, the group seemed undecided :shock:

Figuring it was a nice day and not wanting to risk getting soaked early on, I popped my shoes and socks off, paddled across the shallows and spent a few minutes drying my feet in the sun. The most pleasant river crossing I'd ever done :lol:

Safely across, I watched others attempt the bridge
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Clothes back on, I headed past the building and caught up with the man ahead. His name was Nigel and he was such good company that we ended up walking together, or maybe he just couldn't get rid of me... :lol:

We arrived at the Steall Falls…as I was travelling light today I realised I didn’t have my river-crossing bin bags…fortunately it was easy enough to pick my way across here, and even stopped for a photo…

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With that obstacle now out of the way, I figured it would be plain sailing from here. It was not…I had heard rumours of the Glen Nevis Bog Factor. Let’s just say that the rumours were true. As I was in trail shoes, I climbed into the trees and scrambled my way along mossy rocks. Some interesting manoeuvres but I remained dry.

The bog circumnavigated, the path became easier and after a brief stop to apply copious amounts of suncream, we headed off up the path. It was easy initially before heading steeply upwards.

The path zig-zagged its way up hill. Height was gained quickly but it was hot work. Fortunately the views backwards gave a good excuse for a breather :lol: We were passed by a guy covered in mud up to the knee…I asked him if he’d walked through the bog and he said yes :lol: :lol:

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Finally gaining the ridge, we encountered a strange rock formation :shock:
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And could also see across to our final summit of the day, Sgurr a’Mhaim. It didn’t look too far, but knew that it wouldn’t be easy!
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From here it was an easy enough climb to the summit of An Gearanach, where we were greeted by even better views!

Glen Nevis
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The mighty Binnein Mor & Na Gruagaichean
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The whole ring ahead of us
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The whole of the Nevis range; Nevis, CMD, Aonachs, & Grey Corries
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Big Ben
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I introduced Nigel to the Jaxter pose here which he thought was hilarious but somehow the picture didn’t work 

The next section got quite exciting and we found ourselves scrambling along an exposed rocky arete. I generally stuck to the crest, although I was missing my boots and the trust I had in their grip. It was fun though, and we crossed unscathed.

A steep descent followed, although the good path aided this and before long we were headed up towards Stob Coire a’ Chairn.

Looking back to what we’d just descended
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Binnein Mor & Na Gruagaichean again
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It was a surprisingly easy ascent and before long we had reached our next objective. Stob Coire a’ Chairn gave excellent views back the way to Ben Nevis

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Until I managed to spoil it
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Demoted munro, Sgurr an Iubhair, the Devil’s ridge & Sgurr a’ Mhaim
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We had a wee breather and a spot of lunch here as it was very warm and well past lunchtime.

After reapplying suncream it was time to get moving again. Descending easily to the bealach, we could see the imposing climb up Am Bodach ahead.

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As we got closer a path became visible, zig zagging its way up in between the crags. It was steep going but slightly shaded which gave a bit of welcome relief from the sun 8)

As we climbed higher the going became rockier and I enjoyed a bit of easy scrambling, whilst Nigel opted to not follow me if at all possible (sensible man :lol: )

Once we reached the top the wind hit us – apparently we had been very sheltered up until now! But the views were absolutely sublime.

Down Loch Leven towards Beinn a’Bheithir
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Nevis range, our route so far and Binnein Mor etc
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Glencoe and beyond
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The route ahead, with Stob Ban peeking out
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Beinn a’Bheithir & Garbh Bheinn behind and the route ahead in the foreground
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It was incredibly hot and we stopped for lunch 2.0. I had a wee wander out to the other cairn and it provided some more excellent views. The haze from earlier had lifted and you see everything :thumbup:

Binnein Mor & Na Gruagaichean
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Everything
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Everything (facing the other way)
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Garbh Bheinn – absolutely love that hill
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Beinn a’Bheithir
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Bidean with the Aonach Eagach in front
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We met another friend here and enjoyed chatting. He headed off, initially heading down although we managed to persuade him it was probably easier to stay on the ridge :lol:

After a quick pose….
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It was time to get moving again. The descent was much less steep (evidence that we were definitely doing this the right way round :lol: ) and we reached the bealach easily.

Views from the bealach
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We climbed up to Sgurr an Iubhair (it felt too easy to be another munro anyway :lol: ) But the views from it were excellent.

Nigel admiring Stob Ban where he’d been the day before
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The Devil’s ridge and Sgurr a’ Mhaim ahead
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We descended a little way before the path took off onto the ridge.

Another look at Stob Ban – this hill looks awesome :thumbup:
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On the ridge – exposed enough to be airy but not so narrow as to be scary.
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Stob Ban, Mullach nan Coirean and Garbh Bheinn behind
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As we reached what turned out to be the hardest bit of the ridge, I decided I was going over the top. Nigel had already confessed to a dislike of exposure and as I scrambled over the first obstacle I heard him making a clucking noise from below me :lol: :lol:

The second obstacle had a downclimb I didn’t fancy without more trusted footwear so joined him in the chicken run :lol:

After this is was an easy walk off the ridge. Looking back I was surprised to see how much ascent was on the ridge – we had been enjoying it so much we hadn’t noticed :lol:

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From here it was a simple walk to the summit. We were both feeling our legs and the heat, and was glad of a stop for a photo

The ridge with Glencoe behind; Bidean dominating
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We arrived at the summit and met a group who had a dog that apparently ate people’s hands :shock: I am not a dog person and stayed well away :lol:

As we were standing taking photos we saw a couple of planes fly down Glen Nevis
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Nevis himself
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An Gearanach with Binnein Beag, Binnein Mor & Na Gruagaichean behind
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Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean with Loch Linnhe, Beinn a’Bheithir & Garbh Bheinn behind
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Nevis massif
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Mamore massif
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Looking West
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Devil’s Ridge & Glencoe
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Spoiling the view again
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We had a nice rest here, applied some more suncream and just enjoyed being out in the hills. It was some day 8)

Eventually we figured we should get going again. Heading down the North-West ridge, we slipped and slid our way down, laughing at the sound-effects as each of us had many near slips :lol: The descent was easy enough initially but once we reached the grass it became steeper. As we lost height the heat became more and more unbearable.

Glen Nevis in heat
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We took our time on the descent but I think we had both got to the stage where we just wanted it to be over :lol:

I found a wee mouse whilst having a breather – he looked very lethargic so I squirted some water at him, wondering if he was dehydrated. He seemed uninterested or scared so I moved him under a rock out of the sun, hoping he would be ok once it had cooled down.

Mouse friend
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Eventually we met the Stob Ban path which made much easier going. Looking back up the glen was impressive
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Some of what we had just descended
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Another near miss – met a froggy friend in the middle of the path. We tried to direct him towards the river :lol:
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Reaching the river, it was a nice (but more uphill than desired) walk along the river, before crossing the bridge and finishing the last kilometre on the road. We were both pretty pleased to see the car park after what had been quite a tough day in the heat. Hugely rewarding though – what awesome hills!

I was faced with a 3 hour drive home - work in the morning was the only thing that stopped me going to the Rod & Reel in Crianlarich for their amazing mince and tatties :lol: Thanks to Nigel for putting up with my terrible banter and blatant posing :lol:


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Last edited by Jaxter on Tue May 30, 2017 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Alteknacker » Tue May 30, 2017 1:22 am

Hey Jaxter, I did a similar route on Thursday (just post the WHR) and it looks like you pinched most of my pics :lol:

It seems you had much the same brilliant weather as I - but I avoided the linear bog that is mis-named the Glen Nevis path :D
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Sunset tripper » Tue May 30, 2017 8:15 am

Nice one Jaxter great pictures and report. I did a very similar route to you on Thursday. I parked at the big carpark and did the river path and road walk at the beginning so that after the brutal descent at the end, off Sgurr a'Mhaim I could crawl the few yards to my car. I find the wire bridge no bad to cross though it does put the pressure on when there is a crowd of strangers watching. (I'm sure they are willing someone to fall in for some entertainment :thumbdown: .) It is far easier to cross going the opposite direction as it is downhill :thumbup:

All the best :D
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Tue May 30, 2017 8:40 am

Stunning photos of a superb walk!

I'm making plans for my first visit to the Mamores since 1993 (I actually wrote a TR for that one! - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=59882, so it was very inspiring to see your TR - thanks so much for posting!
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Guinessman » Tue May 30, 2017 5:27 pm

Great walk and report,but is the date right?.I was on Mullach Nan coirean on the 29th and the weather was abysmal!!
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Jaxter » Tue May 30, 2017 6:11 pm

Alteknacker wrote:Hey Jaxter, I did a similar route on Thursday (just post the WHR) and it looks like you pinched most of my pics :lol:

It seems you had much the same brilliant weather as I - but I avoided the linear bog that is mis-named the Glen Nevis path :D

Ahh not surprised you did them all in a oner! That bog is intense :lol: :lol:



Sunset tripper wrote:Nice one Jaxter great pictures and report. I did a very similar route to you on Thursday. I parked at the big carpark and did the river path and road walk at the beginning so that after the brutal descent at the end, off Sgurr a'Mhaim I could crawl the few yards to my car. I find the wire bridge no bad to cross though it does put the pressure on when there is a crowd of strangers watching. (I'm sure they are willing someone to fall in for some entertainment :thumbdown: .) It is far easier to cross going the opposite direction as it is downhill :thumbup:

All the best :D

Ahh that makes sense, I was worried because I'm quite short and those hand rails looked high! And I didn't want to make an ass of myself :lol: it was a very enjoyable wee paddle :lol: 8)



HalfManHalfTitanium wrote:Stunning photos of a superb walk!

I'm making plans for my first visit to the Mamores since 1993 (I actually wrote a TR for that one! - [url]<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=59882</span>[/url], so it was very inspiring to see your TR - thanks so much for posting!

Cheers - I hope you get as good weather as I did (although mebbe a little less heat :lol: )



Guinessman wrote:Great walk and report,but is the date right?.I was on Mullach Nan coirean on the 29th and the weather was abysmal!!

Whoooops edited that! That's the day I wrote it :lol: :lol:
Cheers :thumbup:
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby naepace » Wed May 31, 2017 4:01 pm

Great read Jaxter, and pics. Rivers and bogs are rapidly becoming my mosted hated hillwalking adversaries :lol: looks like I'll have a ball on these :crazy: surely it cannot be worse than the forest walk on the way up Ben Lui....or I'm hanging up my boots :shock:
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Mal Grey » Wed May 31, 2017 8:52 pm

Do you never stop?! :lol:

Great report, as always, some excellent photos too.

Somehow, despite having done all these hills (off the top of me head I thinks so anyway), I've never done the "Ring". Set out to do it one Feb, reverse way around via Steall Hut, but snow conditions had us turning back within an hour...
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Cairngorm creeper » Wed May 31, 2017 10:18 pm

Some great pictures and a good description of the walk. We are planning on this one this year, so hoping there is some sunshine left by the time we get round to it. :D
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby dogplodder » Thu Jun 01, 2017 11:56 am

What a day you got - the Mamores at their best - just fabulous. :D
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Jaxter » Fri Jun 02, 2017 11:38 pm

naepace wrote:Great read Jaxter, and pics. Rivers and bogs are rapidly becoming my mosted hated hillwalking adversaries :lol: looks like I'll have a ball on these :crazy: surely it cannot be worse than the forest walk on the way up Ben Lui....or I'm hanging up my boots :shock:

I think I avoided the bit you're talking about on Lui :lol: Steall is ok, just climb through the trees :roll: Best stay away from the Donalds eh :wink:




Mal Grey wrote:Do you never stop?! :lol:

Great report, as always, some excellent photos too.

Somehow, despite having done all these hills (off the top of me head I thinks so anyway), I've never done the "Ring". Set out to do it one Feb, reverse way around via Steall Hut, but snow conditions had us turning back within an hour...

Duracell bunny syndrome :lol: It's a good walk, but then I think all combinations of the Mamores are good walks :wink:



Cairngorm creeper wrote:Some great pictures and a good description of the walk. We are planning on this one this year, so hoping there is some sunshine left by the time we get round to it. :D

Cheers - I expect my luck will run out soon, so it's all yours :lol: :lol:



dogplodder wrote:What a day you got - the Mamores at their best - just fabulous. :D

Fantastic eh! Felt a bit...tanned...the next day 8) :lol:
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby peregrino » Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:02 pm

I was the one bitten by the dog. You were the woman on top of the rock. Very pleased to meet you! Thanks a million for the fantastic pictures. My camera had quit on me, but with your help I now have images to go with my memories of this brilliant day.
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Re: Sunkissed at Steall

Postby Jaxter » Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:59 pm

peregrino wrote:I was the one bitten by the dog. You were the woman on top of the rock. Very pleased to meet you! Thanks a million for the fantastic pictures. My camera had quit on me, but with your help I now have images to go with my memories of this brilliant day.

Fantastic!! It was a great day wasn't it :thumbup: 8)
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