Walking in the Highlands
The 18th June 2020 marked another day of lockdown for us in the Scottish Highlands but instead of waiting for Nicola Sturgeon’s live announcement to move into Phase 2 of her recovery plan, we chose to pack our rucksacks and head to the hills in search of another fabulous route for our guided walking holidays.
Having had a very leisurely breakfast, we left Distant Hills Guest House shortly before midday and headed towards Fort William and into Glen Nevis. Meall Cumhann, a small peak of 698m had been on our hiking list for a while. Our first attempt the previous year had been thwarted by an unexpected thunder and lightening storm so we were keen to get to the top this time.
After a 25 minute drive from Spean Bridge, we had no problem in finding a space in the Upper Falls car park right at the very end of Glen Nevis Road. This is usually a very busy car park in the summer months, with the nearby ‘Steall Falls’ (Scotland’s second highest waterfall) being a top tourist attraction in the Fort William area.
Having visited this area several times before, we pretty much skipped along the first section of the walk leading past the Nevis Gorge and towards infamous Steall Waterfall. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen those Falls, they still earn their ‘wow’ as they come into view. This time was no exception. As well as the Falls, you cannot help but be affected by the sheer beauty of this wide open glen and the surrounding mountains.
Leaving the Falls behind, we sauntered along the gentle valley floor path heading deeper into Glen Nevis until we reached a wooden bridge, a really useful landmark. It’s worth knowing that the Steall ruins dating back to the 1700s lie just before this bridge and can be more easily spotted as you gain a little elevation.
To reach the summit of Meall Cumhann, we needed to take the path to our left immediately before the wooden bridge. The route started to ascend from here and was a little boggy in places but the lively cascading stream to our right was well worth an occasional sogginess underfoot especially as it revealed yet another beautiful waterfall further ahead. As we climbed a little height, the views of the surrounding mountains became even more spectacular with the impressive peaks of the ‘Ring of Steall’ behind us and Aonach Beag to our right.
After approximately half an hour of gradual ascent, the path began to level off as we reached the hanging valley of Coire Guibhsachan. This is yet another jaw dropping moment as the wide open space sweeps into view with a wave of pure peacefulness and a feeling of total isolation. And there she stands defiantly above you, the broad shoulder and the summit of Ben Nevis. From this aspect, the Carn Mor Dearg Arete immediately in front of you looks a little less daunting. We were able to enjoy both the incredible views of our new favourite hanging valley and a little respite for our legs as we followed the course of the river for a good 10 – 15 mins.
From the Coire Guibhsachan, the summit of Meall Cumhann to the left, looked deceptively easy, a naively estimated 5-10 minute hill climb effort. There is no actual path marked on the map to the summit, so we contemplated the most suitable route up. Cameron started to skirt the base of the summit hill, intending to ascend from the bealach between Meall Cumhann and the shoulder of Ben Nevis; however, I soon became impatient and suggested we took a direct route to the top, a suggestion I regretted almost immediately. Boy was that hill steeper than it looked!
With precarious drops on one side and a broad plateau on the top, there was plenty of space to have a spot of lunch and take in the stunning panoramic views from the summit. To make this route a circular route, we descended to the belach and headed south west following a mostly grassy path down the hillside, crossing one or two little streams back to the car park. The real treat on the descent were the birds eye views of the Nevis Gorge and the Steall Waterfall in the distance, as well as marveling at an unexpected RAF Typhoon fighter jet that thundered through the valley at lightening speed.
The walk from start to finish took us around 3.5 hours with plenty of stops to take photos and admire the views along the way. Meall Cumhann is ideal for a shorter hill walking day and could be completed as a circuit or an ‘out and back’ linear walk. It’s a walk that seems to pack a real punch with so many interesting features – a gorge, waterfalls, ruins, valley meadows, meandering rivers and impressive peaks in all directions.
The big question, will it feature as one of the possible walks on our walking holiday programme… most definitely! If you enjoy walking but prefer to walk as a group and let someone else take care of the guiding, consider joining us and our qualified guides on one of our Distant Hills walking holidays in the spring and autumn. For more details of our Walking Holidays visit our website here.
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