Walk Description:

Parking in the car park at the very end of the road into Glen Nevis. There is a tremendous water slide descending from Ben Nevis. We follow the main path up the glen into deciduous woodland.

After a few hundred metres the glen curves to the right and narrows, with the cliffs across the river giving some of the feel of an Alpine gorge. The path continues up the glen and soon emerges from the trees. The section of the more open glen ahead makes a tremendous view, with the green pastures of the valley floor surrounded by fine woodland backed by great mountains - with as centrepiece the great Steall Falls, a tremendous waterfall where a stream cascades four hundred feet down a broken cliff into the glen.

Bearing right off the main path onto a smaller one heading for the steel-cable bridge. This consists of three cables - two for handrails. The brave will edge across it, high over the river, whilst it may also be possible to paddle across the shallows just upstream. Once across, we head left, pass a Steall Hut and continue into the woods to cross the burn on the rocks at the very base of the Steall falls. This may be easier on the flats just downstream if needed.

Continue around the base of the next buttress on boggy ground. Once beyond this we take the stalkers' path heading uphill. It soon reaches a section where a landslip has destroyed the old path, so we continue up steeply beside. There are great views back over the Steall Meadows. As we climb the path improves, eventually traversing right across the corrie, whereupon it continues uphill in a series of zigzags until heading to the right onto the shoulder of a grassy ridge.

Following the path we climb steeply southeast up this ridge. Above the steep section the ascent finally relents a little along a straightforward grassy section before the final pull up to the summit of An Gearanach. This is the first Munro of the day, at 982 metres, and has tremendous views both back to Ben Nevis and across to Sgùrr a' Mhaim.

We continue along the ridge, which narrows to the dramatic, rocky arête of An Garbhanach. The traverse of this 'Top' is an airy, but fairly straightforward exposed scramble, reminiscent, but a little harder than the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arete of Ben Nevis.

The scramble continues, as the ridge heads down to the next bealach. We clamber up to Stob Coire a' Chàirn; the scrambling is over for now, but the ridge steepens with some scree towards the top. The cairn is at 981 metres and is our 2nd Munro of the day providing great views, particularly of the Grey Corries and eastern Mamores.

Descending the much easier, grassy southwest ridge, we traverse over a minor summit, before beginning the steep climb up to Am Bodach. This is rocky and a little loose, so care is needed with the mild scrambling on the ascent. Am Bodach (The Old Man) is 1032m high and our 3rd Munro of the day.

Descending the easier west ridge, we drop down to another bealach, before a straightforward climb up to Sgùrr an Iubhair. At 1001 metres, this was briefly a Munro between 1981 and 1997, a promotion and relegation in status that only the Scottish Mountaineering Club could explain! The route now turns north away from the main spine of the Mamores, following instead what has been named 'The Devil's Ridge'. It begins easily enough as it descends NNW to a wide bealach, before beginning the traverse of the 'Top' of Stob Coire a' Mhail. This is an excitingly exposed and narrow arete, mainly grassy with a path along the crest.

On the descent from the top, there is one trickier section of ridge composed of shattered rocks, which we avoid by taking a bypass path, descending a little on the left, climbing back to the ridge just beyond. A short distance further the descent of a rock step is the final minor obstacle. This is most easily climbed down by starting on the right and descending it diagonally towards the left. Beyond, the ridge continues easily to Sgùrr a' Mhaim, the latter section being on the quartzite stones that give this mountain the appearance of being snow covered. There are great views back along the Devil's Ridge.

Sgùrr a' Mhaim is our 4th and final Munro of the day. It is position away from the main ridge making it a magnificent viewpoint. Stob Ban looks especially fine to the southwest. We avoid descending the northeast ridge towards Steall, as there is difficult and dangerous steep ground much lower down, which has been the scene of fatal accidents. Instead,  we folow the easier northwest ridge, down some shattered quartzite.

The ridge becomes grassier lower down, but our descent is pretty unrelentingly steep. It eventually leads to path above the Allt Coire a' Mhusgain. Following this path we reach the road just east of the Lower Falls car park. Turning right at the road and immediately right again before the bridge to take the path on the near side of the river until Paddy's Bridge at NN158684, before using that to return to the tarmac. Turning right along the road to head back to the start, where we finish a truly epic day!