Meall Dearg

Everyone assures me that the Aonach Eagach ridge is wonderful, amazing, etc etc. I believe them, and maybe one day I'll venture along it's pinnacles and edges. Today, though - I was happy to trudge up the munro at the eastern end of the ridge. Meall Dearg. If I ever do have a go at the ridge, it will not be on my own on a freezing cold October day either!

I picked a route from Loch Leven, up the 'back' of the ridge, which avoided all the tricky scrambling on the Glen Coe side of the ridge. Driving towards Kinlockleven from GlenCoe, there is space for a few cars just past the campsite at Caolasnacon. Just past the second of the two bridges a path leaves the main road and follows the north bank of the Allt Glenn a Chaolais. After a few metres, it forks - with the left hand branch leading walkers off towards Garbh Bheinn - a striking Corbett. The main path though continues straight ahead, up the glen, which I took.

When I say "path" - I mean long, linear ghastly swamp. It's one one of the worst paths I've walked up for a long time. It is soggy, eroded, peaty and om some places just seems to disappear altogether! I had the dual misfortune today of also having pretty poor weather... MWIS is usually fairly pessimistic, but I think for the first time ever I had worse weather than they predicted! The cloud came down, it was cold, and going on the 'path', was slow and hard work.

In the mist, the only sound was that of howling stags, bellowing mournfully, the sounds bouncing back of the walls of the corries, high under the Aonach Eagach ridge.

Eventually I reached the huge bealach between Meall Dearg and Garbh Beinn. Thankfully one of the walkhighlands contributors had noted that in bad weather you can go past the lochan on the bealach and find a series of old iron fenceposts, which serve as a guide up to the summit. I was very grateful for the good online advice and the presence of the posts as I slipped. slimed, and edged my way up the alternating bands of peat, rock and scree. 

As I neared the top of the ridge, the first signs of sun began to mark the thinning cloud. Then, as I stood on the summit, the clouds parted for maybe 10 minutes, offering the most wonderful views down Glencoe..... which vanished as fast as they had appeared. I descended back to the bealach in thick cloud, feeling cold, and underwhelmed by the prospect of the slippery descent.

Still, the sun re-appeared and I could both see and hear the bellowing stags as I picked my way back to the car through the soggy peaty excuse for a path.