Mamores Sat 25th Sept

Another weekend away in Glen Nevis campsite and with the forecast as good as its been for a while I hoped to be able to get in a few hills. Planned route was to start from the lower falls car park at Achriabach and ascend Mullach Nan Coirean via its North Eastern ridge, follow the ridge line to Stob Ban returning via the Devil's Ridge to Sgurr a' Mhaim and descending Sgurr a' Mhaims North Western ridge back to the car park, about 12km and 1600m of ascent or 8 miles and 5300'.

Set off up the forest track and straight away hit a diversion due to forestry commission work, neat wee signs and maps saying go up the glen, ok until I reached the end of the road then it was a muddy path beside the burn. Not the way I planned and when I had to cross a small stream, checked the map and the stream appeared to lead up through the trees and from there it would be a short walk to the ridge.

The climb did take me up onto the top of the ridge, an enjoyable 1500' in three quarters of a mile through conifer, birch wood then a bit of heather bashing. Along the ridge I followed a small path beside a deer fence. Luckily they had knocked a bit of the fence down due to the forestry diversions and I could cross over without climbing. The ridge is described as runnable, just about until the last few hundred feet which was a bit too steep for me to run, pretty rough as well, over rock and scree.

Mullach Nan Coirean is flat topped with two cairns, visited both just in case. By this time views all round Lochaber and beyond, the Ben the only top with any cloud and that would soon disappear. Stopped for some food and to check out the rest of the route.

Leaving the Mullach I ran along faint paths that follow the ridge over a few minor unamed tops towards the steep bouldery climb up to Stob Ban's summit. Sat and re-fuelled here, looking over the other side of Stob Ban, with it's huge cliffs bitten out of the dome shaped peak.

The run off Stob Ban is down a steep rocky path then along the ridge towards ex munro Sgorr an Lubhair, just before you start to climb the path splits, take the left fork down past a small lochan and then up a zig zag path to join the Devil's Ridge.  Despite its name no real problems in good weather, there is about 20 yards where you are aware the path is a touch narrow but as you approach the lowest point follow the path left off the top of the ridge for an easy walk through. From there its a short trudge to the top of Sgurr a' Mhaim and another refuelling stop.

Sgurr a' Mhaim sits at the top of Glen Nevis, with its scree covered quartzite cap a pleasure to run down. The path zig zags almost to the bottom of the glen but once clear of the scree cap it gets progressively more difficult to run on, first rockier and then muddier towards the bottom. Once through a deer fence the gradient eases and its a short run back to the car park. Finished in just over 4 1/2 hours, link to some pictures here, however they don't do justice to the views.