Buachaille Etive Mor (Route 55)
For those visiting without the benefit of a nasty tin box on wheels, I commend Kinlochleven. Reasonably easily reached by bus, and with useful facilities such as shops, it has a wide range of good walks, from riverside to mountaintop, right from the village edge. From there a short bus ride lets you relocate to Fort William or Glen Coe.
The alternative, for those with strong shoulders, is to arrive somewhere in the south (Dalmally, Bridge of Orchy) and trek north along the valleys – stopping off at Kinlochleven for a hot bar meal and a night in a bed – then onwards for Spean Bridge or Fort William. Such adventurers will note the quite frequent bothies, marked on the overview maps with a small hut symbol.
Details of local food, transport and information are in Appendix C.
Oh, Sir Hugh Munro
An oddity of hillwalking in Scotland is that it takes place almost entirely above the 900m contour line. Sir Hugh Munro in 1892 listed the hills above 3000ft (914.4m) – after revisions there are currently 282 of them, of which 44 are in the area of this guidebook. Many hillwalkers are engaged in visiting these 282, and they are indeed worthwhile hills to visit. But the consequence is that the well-trodden ways and rebuilt paths are on these, rather high, hills. The heights of 914.3m and below are largely pathless, and their lesser altitude usually means denser and tougher vegetation. Accordingly, the lower hills are interesting, and unfrequented; but they are not easy. The less difficult of them, and the most interesting, are included here.
The ‘standard routes’ up the Munros are detailed in several existing guidebooks, including Steve Kew’s Walking the Munros Vol 1 (Cicerone). So, while I have described them here briefly, I have also sought out the interesting ways around the back, the unfrequented corries, the more demanding rugged ridgelines from the less convenient car parks.
But on the finest of them all I’ve left the choice to you. Bidean is a hill to visit many times by many different routes; and so, in the south, is Ben Cruachan. The Mamores is one great ridge of many mountains: where you go up and come down depends on how much of it you want to do on a given day. The Black Mount’s great complex sprawl also deserves to be explored in detail.
For more serious scrambling, the area is inspiringly described in Noel Williams’ Scrambles in Lochaber. My own copy is now extremely battered! Here I have included various tough walking routes involving rock, but just two of the easiest and most spectacular scrambles: the magnificent Ledge Route on Ben Nevis, and the Zigzags onto Bidean nam Bian (Routes 9 and 63). Here is also the harder, but unmissable, scramble of the Aonach Eagach ridge above Glen Coe (Route 52). If you like them as much as I do, get hold of Noel’s book and take an extra fortnight off.
Easy rocks above the Zigzags of Gearr Aonach, Bidean nam Bian (Route 63), one of three scrambles that sweet-talked their way into this walking guide
Walking conditions
For low-level walking, Scotland used to offer only the plod through the bog or the smooth and stultifying forest road through the spruce. The south of the area is still like that. However, Kinlochleven has an excellent little network of scenic paths; Glen Nevis has a more variable selection. Some are waymarked and signposted, some not; it’s a good idea to carry a compass and keep a general idea of which way is the road and which way is vast and pathless wilderness.
Walking above raised beaches on the west coast of Kerrera island (Route 99)
The mid-level hills are more demanding. They tend to offer arduous half-days, somewhat tougher but less rockily rewarding than the higher ground. Chase after them though for good views achieved in solitude, or on a windy day or one with poor-quality soggy snow on the bigger hills.
On mountains of 900m and upwards, bare rocks and stones replace the clinging heather or grassy tufts. Or else you’re on a path; popular ways lead to all the Munro summits. The high ground may be comparatively easy but it is also serious. On the ridges of Bidean nam Bian you’re several hours’ walk from any shelter, and that walk will involve finding your way down between crags.
Fancy backpacking, but not sure how it all fits together? Worried you might pack too little gear into the big rucksack – or, even worse, too much? The treks and through routes are full-on in terms of big scenery, lochs and rivers, and real remote country. But at the same time they are fairly easy-going in terms of tracks and footpaths, and a couple of bothies just in case you did manage to lighten your pack by leaving behind the tent poles.
But let’s be hopeful and suppose you remember the tent poles (and even the tent itself), get the weight below 25lb/12kg without leaving out anything that really matters, start early, and keep the speed sensibly low. Then Glen Coe and Glen Nevis could turn you from a boring Munro-bagger into a backpacker for ever.
Within the various sections, the through routes are described from south to north so as to get the bad weather beating on your back. In the northern part of the area, routes web in and out around Corrour station at the edge of Rannoch Moor. The overview maps let you link them into expeditions of up to a week.
These overview maps also mark deer-stalking estates. In Scotland there is a legal right of access to virtually all open country, provided that access is taken responsibly. In certain areas, responsible access means – during three months of autumn – adapting your walking so as not to disturb deer stalking. Over Ben Nevis itself, and in Glen Coe, there is free access year-round; in places like Black Mount and Etive, where deer are hunted for sport, helpful phone lines or agreed routes are available. Full details are in Appendix B.
Wild camping below Castle Ridge on the exciting side of Ben Nevis (Route 10)
When to go
April is still winter on the summits, but low-level routes already offer good walking then and in May. The leaves are breaking and birds are at their noisiest. Low-level routes are also excellent in October as the birch leaves turn gold.
May and June are enjoyable at all altitudes. July and August can be hot and humid, with less rewarding views and midges infesting the glens. West Highland midges can be pretty grim; the trick is to keep moving, and when you stop, stop high.
Midges hang on until the first frost, normally some time in September. October often brings clear air and lovely autumn colours. In between times there’ll be gales. Deer stalking (mid-August to mid-October) causes only minor disturbance to hillwalking in this area; with a little care and consultation, you can have hill days here during the stalking season more readily than anywhere else in Scotland (see Appendix B).
Winter is a time of short days and often foul weather. Snow often lies on the high tops from December to April, with patches in the corries obstructing some routes even into June. Well-equipped walkers skilled in navigation and with ice axe love the winter most of all, for the wonderful crisp snow along the ridges of Bidean and the 100km views through the winter-chilled air.
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