Ben Nevis and Glen Coe. Ronald Turnbull
you can see the top tower of its east ridge, a rather scrappy scramble.
A brief dip and rise lead to Carn Mor Dearg (CMD). One clear sharp ridge runs down left (Route 12, for the Aonachs); the one for the arête is equally clear, forking right, slightly west of south.
On the Carn Mor Dearg Arête, with the Northeast Buttress of Ben Nevis (Photo S Warren)
The CMD Arête is narrow but well trodden. The crest becomes a line of piled boulders, which can be crossed without hands for the first two-thirds of the way. As the ridge bends right, southwest, and starts to rise, the final crest will require handholds, but there’s a small path down on the left.
Where the crest joins the main mountain there is a marker for the abseil posts into Coire Leis. A few more steps and the rock changes from the pale granite to darker volcanic andesite, with a broad boulderfield rising ahead. Head up beside the fierce drop on the right that’s the top of Northeast Buttress (snow here may form cornices along the right-hand edge), to join the crowds among the various junky structures at Nevis summit.
From the summit, descent is obvious in normal conditions. Using the arriving people as live waymarks, pass left of the head of Gardyloo Gully and then bear right, just north of west. In mist (or worse mist and snow) getting off the plateau is more serious as there are sudden gully tops, with snow cornices, both to left and right, and a dogleg course is required. For precision bearings, and grid refs for GPS, see Route 7.
Once over the rim of the plateau, the Mountain Track zigzags down a broad, steep slope. (Old snow in the hollow of the Red Burn, over on the right, can give easy descent, but stay in control as there’s a waterfall lower down). The path takes a final ‘zag’ to the right, to cross the Red Burn below its waterfall. After another 500 metres the Mountain Track turns sharply back left. Here you could switch to Route 11 below – the crossing of Meall an t-Suidhe.
Keep ahead, on a well built path that runs down to the outflow of Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe. Do not cross this stream, but descend rough grass to right of it. Posts mark a faint path used by quad bikes.
Join a ruined deer fence down to the Allt a’ Mhuilinn. Cross this at a metal mesh barrier below a deer fence, to join the track used for the ascent just above its ladder stile. If the stream is too full, there’s a track bridge 200 metres downstream. Reverse the ascent route, back down the track, to Torlundy.
Descent from Nevis to CMD Arête
Head southeast, down quite steep stonefield, with the way well trampled. If heading northeast down a narrowing ridge, this is the top of Northeast Buttress! Contour off right (or return to the summit and start again).
A spur descends bending left (east) to the stony cairned col at the start of the CMD Arête (NN 1708 7098, 1150m). The ridgeline is slightly uphill, the rock changes to rounded granite boulders, and a metal triangle marks the top of some abseil posts down left into Coire Leis.
Scramble along the ridge, cross Carn Mor Dearg to Carn Beag Dearg, and drop northwest down grassy slopes to join the Allt a’ Mhuilinn.
ROUTE 9
Ledge Route
| Start/Finish | North Face car park at Torlundy (NN 145 763) |
| Distance | 7km/4½ miles (up only) |
| Total ascent | 1100m/3600ft |
| Time | 5½hr up |
| Terrain | Scramble Grade 1 on ledges and ridge |
This is just magnificent. The scrambling reaches Grade 1 only at a couple of points, but the route is still serious because of its length and situation. It is fairly easy to find and follow, even in mist. However, snow lingering often to midsummer in Number 5 Gully requires a diversion (left of Moonlight Gully Buttress, not described here) which is rather trickier to find – or an ice axe, and possibly crampons. Snow can be observed from the CIC Hut, or in advance on the Internet (for details of webcams, see Appendix C).
For confident scramblers it’s a feasible descent route, provided you start from the correct cairn on Carn Dearg – coming from Ben Nevis it’s the second one, at 1214m (NN 1585 7210).
See Ben Nevis summit summary map. Start as for Route 8, onto the path beside Allt a’ Mhuilinn. Carry on up this path, which is well built up to the stream junction below the CIC Hut. Cross one stream to reach the hut.
From here, the way up ahead into Number 5 Gully should be visible. Directly opposite the hut, ascend a steep bank above the stream onto the toe of a long slope of gentle slabs. These can be walked up, with perhaps a little scrambling if wet. The slabs run up to big boulders at the foot of the imposing Carn Dearg Buttress. Here turn left up the crag base, then straight up on rough scree paths alongside the crag, into Number 5 Gully.
Number 5 Gully and Carn Dearg Buttress, Ben Nevis
Clamber up the bouldery gully bed with stream for 100 metres. Above here, the gully steepens, divides, and becomes gently rocky; don’t continue up it, but head to the right up a grassy terrace onto a gentle but somewhat exposed slab. This is ascended on the footholds provided by a crack slanting right.
At its top, follow a small path to the right along a grass ledge, with big drops below, for 30 metres. Now a grassy groove slants back up left; the groove itself is eroded to loose stones, so the easy scrambling on its left is preferable. After 30m of height gained you emerge at the top of the groove, and look down a steep slope back into Number 5 Gully.
Turn right up the ridgeline formed by the slope top, to pass to right of a tottery rock pillar, to a stony ledge with a viewpoint boulder.
Head straight up the ridgeline above, which is bouldery with easy scrambling. After 100 metres or so, the ridgeline has a vertical wall dropping on its left. Gradually you are forced nearer to the brink of this wall as the ridgeline narrows. This narrowing ends with a drop to a small notch. The obvious way is to follow the narrowing arête to its very end, becoming somewhat exposed, to descend down right, into the notch (see photo – upper scrambler in dark top); but if you don't fancy that, there are easier ways (see box).
ROUTES AVOIDING THE NOTCH DROP
Harder but less exposed
Five metres before the notch, take a groove down right: it’s steep, but with good well-worn holds. Reach the gravel gully below the notch.
The easiest option
Ten metres before the notch, descend to the right to find a narrow ledge with good handholds, traversing right, to the foot of the steep groove just described (see photo – lower scrambler in blue top).
Notch on Ledge Route, Ben Nevis
Continue up the blocky bouldery ridge. Rocky steepenings can be avoided on the right if desired, but always return to the crest. The crest levels, then a final tower is scrambled direct (good Grade 1) with a photogenic little arête to finish, or else bypassed on the left.
Arrive on the plateau at the 1214m cairn on Carn Dearg. This is the main cairn but not the main summit. Pass south around the head of Number 5 Gully, to the higher but less cairned 1221 summit. Strictly, this is ‘Carn Dearg North’ as Nevis has two tops called Carn Dearg. A shelter marked on old maps here has been removed.
Descend south around the plateau rim – the Mountain Track is visible to the right with its procession of folk. Pass the head of Number 4 Gully (which has a cairn with marker post), then ascend gently to pass the head of Number 3 Gully (which has a pinnacle in the top and a view down to CIC Hut), then trend right to join the Mountain Track just below MacLean’s Steep. Follow it past