Sgorr nam Fiannaidh and Meall Dearg Route Information

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Sgorr nam Fiannaidh & Meall Dearg

Quick Facts

This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.

Total Ascent

1295 m

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time

4.5 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

11.39 km

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

You can click on the map name to purchase the map for £6.29 including postage which is one of the cheapest prices we have found.

OS Landranger Maps Required

41	Ben Nevis, Fort William & Glen Coe

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A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

Notes

The Aonach Eagach (notched ridge) is Scotland's classic ridge walk. It is a difficult route requiring scrambling skills and an ability to cope with exposure.

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

Travel Information

Head to: Glencoe

From Glencoe Village (A82) travel E 10km to car park just downhill of the bridge over the Allt-na-righ.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 1,295 metres. Allow 4.5 hours to complete this 11.39 km route.

In winter months please check the local snow conditions at sais.gov.uk.

The hillphones service can inform you of stalking activities in the area.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

Route Information

Waypoint Detail

	Start from A82 on path by Allt-na-reigh
		NN17525661	Distance	Altitude 200 m

1	Ascend N following the stream
		NN17495762	Distance 1.04 km	Altitude 530 m

2	Continue NNW to ridge
		NN17165819	Distance 0.97 km	Altitude 815 m

3	Ascend SW to summit of Am Bodach
		NN16875800	Distance 0.38 km	Altitude 943 m

4	Descend to ridge and bear WNW to Meall Dearg
		NN16135835	Distance 0.90 km	Altitude 953 m

5	Follow narrow exposed rocky ridge (Aonach Eagach) W to col (850m). Scrambling required!
		NN15215832	Distance 0.95 km	Altitude 805 m

6	The worst is now behind you! Ascend NW on Stob Coire Leith
		NN14955849	Distance 0.33 km	Altitude 940 m

7	Bear WSW on ridge
		NN14545827	Distance 0.46 km	Altitude 798 m

8	Continue W to summit of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh
		NN14065830	Distance 0.54 km	Altitude 967 m

9	Descend SSW to road.
		NN13795662	Distance 1.73 km	Altitude 100 m

10	Head NE on road
		NN14735713	Distance 1.10 km	Altitude 90 m

11	Continue E on road
		NN16495694	Distance 1.83 km	Altitude 135 m

12	Follow road ESE to return to start
		NN17525661	Distance 1.16 km	Altitude 200 m

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

West Highlands
by MWIS (PDF format)

West Highlands
by Met Office

Bidean nan Bian
by Metcheck

Images of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh & Meall Dearg

The chancellor off Am Bodach a great extra on the A Eagach ridge..27th july 2008

Image by Dougie Mccoll

The Aonach Eagach between Stob Coire Leith and Meall Dearg, from Sgorr nam Fiannaidh; 10th October 2010.

Image by Roger Vander Steen

Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, with Stob Coire Leith to left, seen from the summit of Garbh Bheinn (Loch Leven).

Image by David S Brown

The Aonnach Eagach Ridge with Meall Dearg at its eastern (right) end as viewed from Stob Coire nan Lochan (Bidean nam Bian).

Image by Bill Wales

Route Area Map

Legend

Munro

Corbett

Graham

English/Welsh Top

Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

Where to Stay

We currently have no
sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

Rating & Reviews

Rating & Reviews

Rated:

from 25 votes

Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating

Written by M. Forbes on 01 Jul 2009:

This is by far the most exhilarating walk I have ever done. The views are fantastic, the ridge incredible and the probability of imminent death if you make a wrong move - high. Not a walk that should be attempted in bad weather. I have pretty bad vertigo and managed to complete this walk but there were a few bits that were extremely shaky! Worth it in the end, fantastic walk fantastic sceneary and fortunately we got a fantastic day.

Written by Martin Joyce on 02 Nov 2007:

My goodness but this is a cracker! Two of us did it last week in heavy rain and high wind. It was very intimidating. But the rock is wonderfully solid, covered in good holds and nothing like as slippery as it looks. One thought occurs. We did it east to west, but since the drops seemed generally harder than the climbs I wonder if it might be more satisfying to go the other way. You wouldn't want to take the direct route up to Fiannadh though - this is dreadfully steep and loose. Guess you'd need to take a bit more time and go up to the col below the Pap.

Written by Adam Rixon on 02 Oct 2007:

These were my 52nd & 53rd Munros, but the first with real scrambling and exposure. The ridge traverse turned out to be harder than I'd expected - not in terms of the scrambling moves involved, but more the relentless up and down over the pinnacles (there's no respite for 1.5km+) and the difficulty of route finding, in mist at least. Bypass paths often look like the easy option, but having followed one almost vertically down an eroded, muddy slope, I'd advise sticking to the crest. In some parts it appears impassible on first view, but there's always a chink in the armour on closer inspection.

Written by Craig Dunderdale on 01 May 2006:

D.Brown & P.Lang's reviews are the most important & accurate. These were Munros 139 & 139 for me and by far the hardest. I did this 11/10/05 with my mate Brownie on wet rock but good weather. The best tip is take your time, don't rush it, make sure you have firm hand and foot placings on the rock at all times and you'll be alright. On the latter part of the pinnacles, don't rush your route and end up in a chimney on the North side clinging onto wet mud above the abyss like we did. A fantastic day that took about 5hrs, loads of exposure but good firm placings all the way if you look for them!

Written by Donny McKie on 27 Nov 2005:

If you are a regular scrambler and have a head for heights then this is not one to be missed. If however, like me, you have never climbed a hill in your life and you do not have a head for heights, then you are going to find this one of the most terrifying experiences of your life. Most other reviewers tell you that it is great fun and not very scary. This may be the case if you are used to scrambling in the Cuillin of Skye or have a particular interest in ridge walking. If, however, you are just looking for a pleasant hillwalk with nice views, climb something else!

Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.

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