Climb up to the lochan in Coire Àrdair to view the magnificent cliffs of Creag Meagaidh. The first part of this moderate walk, which follows a very good path, passes through the regenerating woodland of the National Nature Reserve.
Excellent path, fairly gentle climb on outward route.
None to start.
Aberarder, car park off A86 between Laggan and Spean Bridge.
There is a good-sized car park at Aberarder on the north side of the A86, opposite Loch Laggan. Take the track and immediately fork left onto the signed path to reach a second junction; ignore the path branching to the left this time. Continue on the path, passing a wooden seat and ignoring a second turning off to the left. Heading straight across a track to reach some buildings. Here there is a covered picnic bench and information including recent wildlife spottings, as well as a toilet. This whole area has been purchased as a National Nature Reserve by NatureScot, and the regeneration of the forest is impressive. Follow the path up the right hand side of the building. The path soon steepens and reaches a clear junction; ignore the red pine marten sign and take the right hand branch.
The path continues gently uphill and is very well made. Keep on it when a faint path, marked by a tiny cairn goes off to the right (this is one route heads up Cairn Liath for those tackling the Munros). The remains of the forest that once stood here has regenerated dramatically following the establishment of the National Nature Reserve in 1986 to prevent a plan to grow conifers here. The area had been heavily grazed and become treeless, as with much of the Highlands; the policy has been to remove the sheep and cull red deer rather than erect fences. This was been a controversial approach, with some neighbouring sporting estates claiming their deer were straying into the reserve and being culled. However the regeneration at Creag Meagaidh is regarded as a great success story.
Continue along the path, which now eases off and there are the first views of the great cliffs of Coire Àrdair, the showpiece of the mountain. In winter, the numerous gully, many running with water in summer, provide good ice climbing routes. The reserve straddles the east-west watershed of Scotland and supports a wide range of rare wildlife, including dotterel on the plateau and semi-arctic plants in the Coire. The hummocky ground seen to the left was formed by retreating glaciers leaving piles of gravel behind at the end of the ice age 2 million years ago - the coire itself is a massive ice-carved bowl.
After a fairly level section heading direct for the coire, the path descends to the burn, the Allt Coire Àrdair, for some distance before climbing slightly once again. The cliffs are split by a rightwards sloping rake; on the left the crags are sheer whilst to the right of the rake are three great buttresses, known as Posts, divided by gullies. They are renowned ice-climbs in winter.
At the last moment tiny Lochan a'Choire comes into view, nestled beneath the spectacular cliffs in a spectacular amphitheatre. The Lochan at 630 metres above sea level but the mountain towers behind in crags 400 metres high. To the right the path, used by hillwalkers, continues along and up scree to The Window, the name of the col between Stob Poite Coire Àrdair and Creag Meagaidh; this is one of the most popular routes up and down the mountain, although it is often banked with snow and is best left to hillwalkers.
Those less experienced should be content with retracing their steps back down the path to return through the woods to Aberarder.
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