Walk of the week : The Aonachs

FROM the gondola top station there is still a climb of 571m. Head SSE to approach the plateau; slopes that gradually get pinched by cliffs on either side. It is then a curving southwards route to the summit cairn.

Westwards lie the cliffs of Ben Nevis and the graceful line of Carn Mor Dearg. It is all too easy to have a false sense of security, for the plateau is only 250 metres wide with sharp drops on either side - not the place for anyone with poor navigational skills on a bad day.

With much of the wilderness aspect of Aonach Mor having been lost, I prefer to reach the summit by way of its NNE ridge; a traverse over two Tops that shows the impressive mass of the hill. (The time and distance quoted refer to the popular route.)

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From the top station head eastwards, following the chair lift to map ref 197757. Then contour at 700m below the shoulder of Aonach an Nid to cross the Allt Choille-rais beneath the end of another chair lift, map ref 203746. It is then an easy climb east to 918m Tom na Sroine. The NNE ridge then narrows and curves west over Stob an Cul Choire.

After a slight descent, the final ramp gives access up and through the eastern wall of cliffs, renowned for holding snow into summer. It may look difficult from afar, but the ramp has a path of reasonable gradient leading to the plateau with the cairn just 200 metres away. At the only rock barrier keep to the right (north) side. No scrambling is involved, nevertheless, the hillwalker is advised only to use this route when snow-free.

Despite the forecast for good weather I was now into cloud and drizzle that persisted for the rest of the day.

From Aonach Mor, descend gently south on mossy terrain to the narrow neck of land at 1087m (a sensible turning point in adverse weather), from where it is a climb of only 147m. Climb south-east over a stony, slabby area, nowadays eased by a well-defined path, but still to be treated with caution when wet or under snow and ice. The path then zigzags southwards. For all its height and bulk, Aonach Beag has a surprisingly small mossy summit, with a cairn, too small for such a mountain, perched perilously close to the hill’s outstanding feature, its complex north-east face.

I then had an out and back trip to Stob Coire Bhealaich and Sgurr a’Bhuic; the latter a shapely and distant point overlooking Glen Nevis. It was a long way back to the car park.

Last used on my June visit to Carn Mor Dearg, the Nevis Range mountain gondola (open daily 10am-5pm at this time of year) transports the hillwalker to 650m on the northern slopes of Aonach Mor. In earlier times it was a long, big climb from Leanachan Forest. On this outing I was heading for Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag and their four subsidiary Tops.

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With the low-lying swirling cloud gradually rising in autumnal delight to the clear plateau, it was a good time to go before the arrival of snow, then the ski-ing season.

The Aonachs are the two (very) high points on a two-mile north/south ridge; mostly a narrow mossy plateau stretching from the top of the ski grounds to then overlook Glen Nevis. At 1221m/4006ft, Aonach Mor, only 123m lower than Ben Nevis, means big ridge.

Aonach Beag, an easily remembered 1234m/4049ft, means little ridge, but the “little” refers not to its (superior) height but to its relative lack of bulk when compared with Aonach Mor.

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