Ben Nevis Ledge Route and Mountaineering in Glencoe

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This event takes place in a big mountain setting and involves easy grade technical scrambling and adventurous hiking with some moderate exposure. It is suitable for confident beginners looking to progress to the next level. It also has more than enough quality to make it a worthwhile exercise for seasoned mountaineers.

Ben Nevis Ledge Route and Mountaineering in Glencoe
Meet at: The public bar in the Glencoe Inn on the main A82 road through Glencoe Village, PH49 4HP. The plan is to travel up on Saturday 6th then meet socially for an hour or two in the evening before the week’s activities will begin the following morning. We will be leaving to travel back home on the morning of Saturday 13th. As an environmentally conscious group, we actively encourage car sharing. Further details of car sharing arrangements from Sheffield, Manchester and elsewhere will appear in the comments section nearer the time.

While we plan to spend the week enjoying as many mountain adventures as possible, there will be one main objective; an ascent of Ben Nevis via the North Face Ledge Route and this outing will be prioritised for the first good weather day of the trip. The delightful Scimitar Ridge scramble will be on the agenda too and we will also spend plenty time in the magnificent mountains of Glencoe.

As the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis needs no introduction. Tens of thousands of pilgrims reach its 1345 metre summit every year and virtually all of them do so by the Pony Track (the main tourist path). Very few venture round to the other side of the mountain and on to its imposing North Face (shown in photo above) but that is exactly what we will be doing. Our route of ascent will be via The Ledge Route, which follows an implausibly amenable line up that towering North Face. It is a long and sustained scramble with some dramatic positions but is never overly technical.

Glencoe boasts some of the most incredible mountain scenery anywhere in the UK with a series of spectacular jagged peaks towering over the narrow valley below from both sides. So breathtaking is the view that there is even a purpose built parking place on the A82 road through the valley to allow never ending coach loads of tourists to stop and gaze in wonder. Of course we will be doing a lot more than just gazing at those mountains, we will be getting up close and personal with their lofty summits including the likes of Buachaille Etive Mor, Stob Choire Sgreamhach, Am Bodach, Stob Choire Nam Beith, Aonach Dubh and more.

Photos from a couple of our previous trips to Ben Nevis and Glencoe be seen here:

https://www.meetup.com/sheffield-mountaineering-rock-climbing-meet/photos/34449827/

https://www.meetup.com/sheffield-mountaineering-rock-climbing-meet/photos/32721348/

Difficulty: The Ledge Route is a Grade 2 scramble. Scimitar Ridge is Grade 2 or 3 depending on the line taken. Other routes we will be looking at in Glencoe will involve adventurous hiking and Grade 1 scrambling. For more information on scrambling grades see:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/understanding-scrambling-grades

Experience Required: Some previous mountain scrambling experience is essential. If you lack the required experience but fancy this trip, just come to some of our other scrambling events first.

Ordnance Survey Map: OS Explorer 392 Ben Nevis & Fort William 1:25,000 scale.

Guidebooks: Scrambles in Lochaber by Noel Williams and Scotland’s Mountain Ridges by Dan Bailey, both published by Cicerone Press, Highland Scrambles South published by SMC.

Accommodation: Some of us have booked a holiday cottage in Glencoe village. If you are not already booked into this cottage, you will need to arrange your own accommodation. There are many other options in the area. As well as cottages there are youth hostels, bunkhouses, B&B's and campsites. If you need any help or advice finding something just let me know.

If everybody wants to contribute £12.00 towards our substantial Meet Up fees and the additional costs incurred in organising this trip that will be great, thanks.

Disclaimer: This is NOT a package holiday or guided tour and there is NO insurance provided. Mountaineering can be a dangerous activity and you attend entirely at your own risk. We will do everything possible to keep you safe but we are NOT responsible for any accidents you may have. By signing up and coming to the event, you agree to all of this. We highly recommend that you take out your own insurance.