Ben Nevis via the back way, Lochaber, Scotland – September

Going up Ben Nevis (which we had never been up before) via the Carn Mor Dearg Arete had at some point recently gone on our shortlist of what we wanted to achieve on this trip. It was one out of three things we most wanted to do, the other two being An Teallach in Dundonnell and Fisherfield, and Liathach in Torridon.

We got up early, and started walking about 7am up the same path as yesterday. It did help psychologically to know this first part of our route for the day. (At the campsite earlier, at about 5.15am, I spotted a line of torchlight moving along the flank of Meall an t-Suidhe towards Ben Nevis, which was probably a group starting from the Achintee farm path.) About a couple of hours later, we reached the junction with the ‘halfway lochan’ path. In another 1h20 or so, we were at the top of Carn Dearg Meadhonach. I did not particularly enjoy the slog up the steep slope from the corrie (not done justice by the photos of it), for which I had tried to prepare myself mentally, but which had still made me quite weary by the time I reached the ridge. We then had a pleasant walk along the ridge to Carn Mor Dearg.

After that slog, the scrambly walk along the Carn Mor Dearg Arete was a pleasure, as there was no wind to unbalance us as we picked our way over the narrow rocky ridge. Then we had another, this time very rocky, slog up from the end of the arete to the top of the Ben. We suddenly arrived up onto the flat top, where there were many people in colourful jackets milling around. We had a look around, peeking into the emergency shelter, had something to eat, and then started down along the northern cliff edge, peering down into the gullies. Briefly we followed the path down, but then we struck out away from the path again towards the cliffs to take in the top of Carn Dearg. We were back down by the youth hostel at 4pm. After a pint at a bar along the way, sitting outside on a bench in the sunshine, we wandered back to the campsite. It had been a clear weather day except for a little mist; it rained in the evening.

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Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe in the morning light

Looking back down the path

A cloud inversion over Loch Eil

The North Face of Ben Nevis

The North Face

Coire Leis and CIC hut

Carn Mor Dearg Arete and top of Ben Nevis from the slopes of Carn Dearg Meadhonach (which took a bit of a slog to get up!)

The dramatic North Face

The North Face. You can see why it’s a climber’s paradise.

The red rocks of Carn Dearg Meadhonach.

Loch Eil looks oddly-shaped from this viewpoint.

Carn Mor Dearg and the gently curving knife-edge arete

Looking ahead to Carn Mor Dearg and the knife-edge arete

The side of Aonach Mor, riven with gullies

Mist over the top of Aonach Mor

Carn Mor Dearg

Carn Mor Dearg Arete

The top of Ben Nevis

The North Face in morning sunlight

The North Face of Ben Nevis

Looking back at Carn Dearg Meadhonach

B heading down to the start of the CMD Arete

CMD Arete

Mist over the top of Ben Nevis

Top of Ben Nevis

Big blocky rocks on the CMD Arete

The arcing CMD Arete. It took a fair amount of time to go over these rocks.

The North Face again

The steep climb from the arete to the summit

Going down in order to go back up again

Scrambling over the rocks

Looking back at Carn Mor Dearg in the sunshine

Going over the CMD Arete

Allt a’ Mhuillin running down Coire Leis

Nearing the end of the arete

View back over to Carn Mor Dearg

Carn Mor Dearg and Carn Dearg Meadhonach, with Coire Leis below

Part of the Ring of Steall

Sgurr a’ Mhaim with its slopes in shadow

Stob Ban and Mullach nan Coirean from the steepening hillside

View south going up Ben Nevis from the east

View south from the end of the CMD Arete on the eastern side of Ben Nevis. In the centre is Sgurr a’ Mhaim. Now there was a steep rocky slog left between us and the summit.

The line of the CMD Arete, now behind us. Aonach Beag under the clouds

The top of Carn Mor Dearg at the other end of the arete

View back down as we approached the summit. There is some forshortening here, so it does not give a realistic sense of the wearisome bouldery slog it took to get up here from the end of the arete!

Walking towards the many structures on the flat rocky summit

Another busy day on Ben Nevis. After the quiet on our route so far, it was a bit of a shock to suddenly find ourselves surrounded by people. The structure in the middle is the emergency shelter, raised on a high platform to help it stay accessible above the snow in winter. I keep thinking it looks like a boat somehow.

The trig point on the Ben

Having a look inside the shelter. It was a bit damp inside, but when conditions are bad up there I am sure it would be the most comforting place.

The cliffs are not far away from the flat summit, so you can understand how easy it could be in bad weather to wander too near the edges.

The emergency shelter. The whitish top of Sgurr a’ Mhaim is visible in the background.

The constant stream of people shows you immediately where the Mountain Track lies.

Looking over north-north-east at Carn Dearg Meadhonach and Carn Mor Dearg, the way we had come up.

A little way down the Mountain Track, trying to decide when to head off the path to the right to take in the top of Carn Dearg on the way down.

The gently sloping top of Carn Dearg in the distance. In bad visibility, we probably would not have taken in this additional top.

Gully from cliff edge

Looking back over to the summit and the path

The drops are big

The corrie below, with two lochans

The dark outline of Aonach Mor is showing over Carn Mor Dearg to the east

Rocky gully wall.

Small patch of snow on the North Face

A closer view of the old snow

The top of Aomach Beag is now visible in the middle distance

The North Face is certainly impressive. The view of it did not disappoint, and it was worth going up the Coire Leis way and taking this detour to the cliff edge to see it.

Narrow gully

North Face and corrie floor

The ever-changing view

Loch Linnhe

Standing on the slightly sloping flat top of Carn Dearg

Going back down the Mountain Track way. Rather than follow all of the zigzags, we took a rougher shortcut going more directly down the initial part – the ground was a bit unpleasantly loose, but it might have saved us some time.