The Mamores

Tuesday 26th May 2026

At the end of the previous day, before this walk, I had climbed up from Kinlochleven along a great path that passes through stunning wooded scenery to reach the Blackwater Reservoir where I put up my tent, even though I had actually intended on staying at the Loch Chiarain bothy, but I was too tired to keep going that far. It was still an enchanting spot with views across the reservoir, over the pass of the Devil’s Staircase and towards the mountain of Buachaille Etive Mòr. The following morning the views were even better because now there wasn’t a cloud in the sky for the first time on my holiday. When I set off I continued to head towards the bothy, before turning left at the burn, Allt Coire na Cruaidhe to follow a slender path that climbs beside the stream. This was very tiring on a path that, shall we say, was in its natural state, that is, rough and boggy. Eventually I came to a junction with the path that comes up from Loch Chiarain where I turned left to continue climbing over Meall na Cruaidhe to views over the epic range of mountains known as the Mamores while the mountains of Glen Coe continued to dominate the view whenever I looked back. My patience on this holiday after a week and a half of poor weather was finally being repaid and now I had excellent weather while heading towards one of the best mountain ranges in Scotland. The tiring path eventually led me to the mouth of Loch Eilde Mòr where a gravel track provided me much easier walking while heading back towards Kinlochleven.

Once over the pass I had mesmerising views along the length of Loch Leven and if I stayed on this track it would have taken me into Lairig Mòr to join the West Highland Way, or alternatively, I could have gone past Loch Chiarain to head into Lairig Leacach to continue north, and these were my foul weather alternatives. However, I wanted to take full advantage of this good weather and I had left myself plenty of time to do so. Even though it would take a lot of effort, I wanted to climb onto the glorious Mamores ridge, and the sight of these high mountains towering over me made me question my intentions. When I turned into Coire na Bà I quaked at the enormity of the mountain Am Bodach and the scale of the effort before me as I slowly made my way up the path, eventually turning east to head across the long slopes of Na Gruagaichean before turning north again to pass below the crags of the north western top and eventually reach a broad, grassy saddle. I have descended by this path through Coire na Bà twice before, most recently in 2017, and I think I appreciated it better on those occasions because it is just too long and tiring for an ascent, so I was relieved when I finally reached the great Mamores ridge. Now, I slowly climbed the ridge towards Stob Coire a’ Chàirn with stunning views all around me, including north towards Glen Nevis and the fabulous mountains beyond, while Am Bodach continued to dominate the view. I fell in love with the Mamores range on my first visit in 2005, so I was overjoyed to be back and to be enjoying fabulous weather amongst the amazing scenery.

The broad ridge eventually led me up to the small, airy summit of Stob Coire a’ Chàirn, which lies on the route of the classic Ring of Steall mountain walk and in 2005 I did part of that walk, coming up over An Gearanach to reach this Munro. But now I turned my back on the view north to look upon Am Bodach, which I decided I didn’t fancy attempting to climb, especially with a heavy rucksack on my back. After making my way along the ridge to the col I then started to head across the screes bypassing the summit. The Ordnance Survey shows two paths crossing the slopes below the steep crags of Am Bodach, which I intended on taking, but I couldn’t find any trace and eventually I turned uphill, climbing a sheer grass rake that led me back onto the clear path which weaved around the crags leading me very steeply up the mountain. With my head down, taking one step at a time, repeatedly crossing the rocks, back and forth, eventually I reached the popular summit of Am Bodach where the views were sensational and worth the exceptional effort required to get there. I could see Loch Leven and the Blackwater Reservoir to the south, but I was more interested in the views across the Mamores from this central location. From the westernmost Munro of the range, Mullach nan Coirean, all the way to Binnein Mòr at the eastern end, every mountain, with the Grey Corries beyond, looked fabulous in the sunshine. 

I spent ages wandering around the summit, taking pictures and gazing at the awesome view, until eventually I headed west down the rocky path that led me down to the saddle and up to the summit of Sgùrr an Iubhair where I took many pictures, mesmerised by the view east, back towards Stob Coire a’ Chàirn with Binnein Mòr behind, displaying the Mamores in its glory. Sadly my photographs lack depth due to the bright sunshine, which is a shame as the view from my perspective was sensational. Eventually I began to descend veering south to avoid the cliffs of Coire nam Miseach until I reached the col where a path led me north descending into Coire a’ Mhusgain. This was an excellent path which I enjoyed coming down until eventually I began to think about dinner since it was now six o’clock. I didn’t want to camp at this point, but I did make my dinner and after eating I continued along the path through the increasingly wooded valley until eventually I reached the road in Glen Nevis. There I turned up the valley along a fabulous path through gloriously wild scenery with bluebells providing a lovely foreground display to the Nevis gorge in the distance. 

This was an exhausting climb because of the warm, sunny evening and it continued as I made my way along the road and through the fabulous Nevis gorge footpath, which has not lost any of its charm despite being very popular. The Steall waterfall at the top was lit by the setting sun, but with a large party preparing to camp there I kept going until I reached the ruins of Steall and camped there. This was a long, tiring day passing through amazing scenery with fabulous weather that you can often only dream about in the Highlands of Scotland, so I felt fortunate. I keep telling myself that I now prefer long distance trails instead of mountains, but when you are at the top of a mountain in good weather the old feelings about mountains come back. But going up a mountain is a lot easier when you are not carrying the heavy camping equipment required for a long distance trail and I could tell my body was more than twenty years older than when I was first in the Mamores with my knees especially causing me problems on this walk.

The Devil’s Staircase and the Ciaran Path

Monday 25th May 2026

While planning for this holiday I tried to create a long distance trail across the West Highlands of Scotland, which begs the question: what not just do the West Highland Way? This is a good point, but I have done that before, so I didn’t want to do it again and I wanted something more mountainous, that climbs onto the tops of the hills rather than staying in the valleys. I had started my trail on the Loch Lomond and Cowal Way, but after reaching Loch Lomond I had difficulty deciding how to continue heading north without resorting to the West Highland Way, which is what I eventually did because bad weather left me with no other choice. Therefore, my west highland trail had so far brought me to Bridge of Orchy and technically I should have returned there to continue heading north, either towards Ben Alder or along the West Highland Way. Instead I decided to spend a couple of nights in Glencoe and now I was going to resume my trek from there and for the next five days I had a route of my own devising that would take me through the west highlands until I reached Loch Ness, which I had decided would be my end point. Loch Leven and Aonach Eagach were a clear barrier in my efforts to head north, so I wasn’t done with the West Highland Way yet and so I needed to head east through Glen Coe until I was back on the West Highland Way following the trail over the Devil’s Staircase. 

After two interesting nights in Glencoe I set off along the minor road that the youth hostel is on and after crossing the main road I headed along the footpath that runs alongside through the upper part of Glen Coe below the awesome Three Sisters of Glen Coe. Dramatic mountains towered either side of me with their heads still clinging to clouds though there were signs that this thick cloud that had stayed with me for almost a week was soon to end. I headed slowly up the valley continuing beyond the turning for the hidden valley which I had taken the day before and past the cars on the road, which were tailed back a long way, now climbing above the road on an excellent track that must be the old road from several hundred years ago, passing the entrance to Lairig Eilde and the northern buttress of Buachaille Etive Beag. I had now emerged from Glen Coe into the sunshine which was breaking through the clouds and I felt ecstatic at being in this fabulous mountain scenery with the sun shining. Unfortunately the excellent path eventually came to an end at a car park and beyond that the path was sketchy at best and often very wet until I finally reached the course of the West Highland Way at the start of the Devil’s Staircase.

This is easily the steepest part of the whole trail, but from my perspective the path is relatively easy as it zigzags clearly up the hillside until finally depositing me at the top of the pass between Stob Mhic Mhartuin and Beinn Bheag. I decided this would be a good place for me to stop and have my lunch, despite the large of numbers of people also there and passing through, before setting off myself down the clear path that was now bathed in sunshine, though thick cloud still clung to all the mountains. I really enjoyed walking along this path with good views into valley of the River Leven, even if not of the mountains, while bathed in sunlight. This was a prolonged descent, first crossing the small stream Allt a’ Choire Odhair-bhig and then over the tip of the ridge Sròn a’ Choire Odhair-bhig before a steeper descent brought me to the crossing of another stream, Allt a’ Choire Odhair-mhòir. Eventually my enjoyment was ruined by reaching a wide track that was really just the road to the vast Blackwater Reservoir. This eventually led me into Kinlochleven, strictly following the West Highland Way all the way, where I bought some food, topped up my water bottles and then set off to find somewhere to wild camp. Soon after crossing the River Leven, on my way into Kinlochleven, I had seen a sign for the Ciaran Path, which intrigued me so I decided to see where it took me and I was blown away by what I found.

It took me through gorgeous woodland with steep slopes above the River Leven through scenery that was so wild and unspoilt I could hardly believe I was in crowded Britain. It breaks my heart that we don’t get such unspoilt terrain more often in Britain, but I was frustrated at not getting good views through the trees, though a couple of times I had breaks in the vegetation where I could get a more open view of the amazing landscape. It was very hot in the sheltered valley, while dragging my heavy rucksack slowly uphill, so the water that had only just obtained in Kinlochleven didn’t last very long. Eventually I emerged from the trees to reach the enormous Blackwater Reservoir, and while I knew that there is a bothy at Loch Chiarain, it was still a long way away, and the walk along the Ciaran Path had completely worn me out, so I had no energy left to keep going. As soon as I found a source of water I stopped and put up my tent. The heatwave that England had been enduring for many days was now finally coming to Scotland, so even though the clouds had still not lifted from the mountains I was hopeful that in the following days I would finally be able to enjoy some fabulous mountain walking. Meanwhile, that evening I lay in my tent gazing across Blackwater Reservoir at the mountains that I had crossed on the Devil’s Staircase earlier in the day and looked forward to the mountains that I would be climbing in the next couple of days.