creag meagaidh lochan

Coire Ardair is beautiful, and the views from route to … From here, return across the plateau and back down to 'The Window'. From the lochan there is a clear path down the north bank of the Allt Coire Ardair. For keen Munro-baggers, and if transport can be arranged between start and finish points, extending this route further to include nearby Beinn a'Chaorainn and Beinn Teallach make for an excellent long day's hiking ! Information is provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check it and navigate There are excellent views across to the great crags of Creag Meagaidh behind Coire Ardair, relieving the monotony of the slope. “Steep climbing … Continue reading → The scenery becomes ever more impressive as height is lost until Lochan Coire Ardair is reached. The summit. This is the first Munro of the day at a height of 1006 metres. There are two cairns on Stob Poite Coire Ardair's summit crest, the top, Leaving Stob Poite Coire Ardair's summit behind, continue following the path hugging the posts south-west and begin to lose height. Photo: paul birrell , CC BY-SA 2.0 . Open start point in Google Maps for directions. This is regarded as one of the best ice-climbing arenas in Scotland. Fork left off the track onto the excellent footpath and then ignore two other paths leading off to the left. image copyright Lili Stirling. The ground and steepness ease as height is lost and the path reaches the east bank of Lochan a'Choire, Continue following the path back out through Coire Ardair and its birch forest, meet up with the cairn. Creag Meagaidh circuit Circular hillwalking route on Creag Meagaidh, Carn Liath and Stob Poite Coire Ardair In the Central Highlands, Creag Meagaidh is a vast and stunning mountain dominating the view northwards above Loch Laggan. Climb up to the lochan in Coire Ardair to view the magnificent cliffs of Creag Meagaidh. A waterfall below a snowfield caught the sun and sparkled brightly. Steven Sinclair, our Year of Young People 2018 graduate, provides a narrative about their visit. Leaving Carn Liath's summit, head westwards to drop to a small nick. Scotland is under national lockdown. Further down it becomes grassier. The slope soon eases into the vast plateau of Creag Meagaidh. Car park at the entrance to Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve, NN482873 Nearest town: Newtonmore or Fort William Terrain: A well-constructed trail gives quick access to Lochan a' Choire. Continue down the path right back to the start. Creag Meagaidh, Stob Poite Coire Ardair & Carn Liath [Loch Laggan] 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. This tiny sheet of water is utterly overpowered by the great bulk of Creag Meagaidh's cliffs high above. This is a beautiful, eerie place made all the more dramatic by the steepness of Creag Meagaidh's eastern buttresses mirrored in the lochan. Approach is on well maintained path, but summit of Creag Meagaidh may be difficult to locate in poor visibility. All the way along the 6km walk you get more and more impressive views of the main feature on Creag Meagaidh - The Post Face. From there it's a little steeper and rougher going, though the terrain is still fairly easy. Seasonal variations: Lochan Uaine and the coire of Uisge nam Fichead from ascent to Creag Meagaidh Legend has it that during the 18th century, a local lassie committed suicide … Follow a sign-posted route following a well constructed path around the right of the house, over a bridge, up to and past a wall to just before the birch forest. Does your firm want to sponsor this route. On arrival at the Creag Meagaidh car park, I decided to wear my four-season Sportiva boots and take my DMM crampons leaving my three-season Meindls and Grivel crampons in the car. The classic Anoach Eagach ridgeline from Stob Coire nan Lochan. From car park at Aberarder (NN 48301 87297) - Lochan a'Choire - The Window - Creag Meagaidh East Top - Creag Meagaidh - The Window - Stob Poite Coire Ardair - Stob Poite Coire Ardair East Top - Sron Coire a'Chriochairein - Meall an-t-Snaim - Carn Liath - Na Cnapanan. Easy path to the lochan, lots of loose scree between here and The Window. Coire Ardair and the cliffs of Creag Meagaidh. Following the path, it turns south-west and reaches 'Mad Meg's Cairn', Creag Meagaidh's not-so-large summit cairn. Open start point in Google Maps for directions. Home » Mountain routes » Central Highlands » Creag Meagaidh circuit, Scottish Avalance Information Service - Creag Meagaidh, Privacy policy, disclaimer and terms of use. Christopher Somerville. As well as reading our description of each walking route, you can read about the experiences of others users on this walk and others.There are 63 user reports for this walk - click to read them. I was keen to see beautiful Coire Ardair in full winter garb. Saturday 9 December 2017: The weather forecasts weren’t promising with threats of Storm… A Night On Creag Meagaidh Hot weather in the Highlands might seem the ideal time for wild camping. Michael Barnard and Ewan Gourlay visited Creag Meagaidh on March 31 and climbed Centre Post, Right-Hand (V,5), the steep icefall on the right wall of Centre Post. Look out for a cairn where a rough path heads off amongst the birch trees. The angle eases eventually onto a broad ridge, and the summit of Carn Liath is marked by a large cairn. Fence-posts are picked up and followed up and along towards Stob Poire Coire Ardair. This traverse also takes in two further neighbouring Munros and makes for a memorable day. The best approach is by Lochan […] Any ice build up noted from yesterday in the main coire Post Face now re-located to the Lochan … The ridge offers a steady ascent to the stony summit plateau, a large cairn and fine views of the Creag Meagaidh cliffs at the head of Coire Ardair. Out of the woodland and further up the path levels out just to the west of the fine vantage point of Na Cnapanan, On the path, aim initially north-east around some steep ground, gradually turning north-west and hike up to Carn Liath's broad summit crest. It's tricky watching your feet on the boulders, since the constant stunning view left over Coire Ardair to the winter climbs is awesome. using a map and compass. Aberarder, car park off A86 between Laggan and Spean Bridge. The path zig-zags up through some scree, then levels out - it's perhaps worth heading a bit east to look back down into Coire Ardair. The cliffs of Coire Ardair rise to almost 400m from the corrie floor to the plateau. Creag Meagaidh, Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath [Loch Laggan] Long but relatively easy route. Click for details, Hear pronunciation Press to hear pronunciation. This is regarded as one of the best ice-climbing arenas in Scotland. Follow the path which climbs up the far side. From here continue northwest - a branch path leads off, making for a long grind up the broad hillside, which becomes stonier near the summit. The path is a little boggy at first but improves further down where it keeps further from the river. The path is very boggy at first through the woods, and continues up the rough hillside to just west of Na Cnapanan, with great views back over Loch Laggan. The scenery becomes ever more impressive as height is lost until Lochan Coire Ardair is reached. Curve round the edge of the corrie and then continue west along the flat summit ridge to reach the summit cairn of Stob Poite a'Choire Ardair beyond. The craggy slopes above glowed gold in the early sun. Facilities include car parking, interpretive panels and recreation areas. The route starts by the A86, around halfway along Loch Laggan from a large car-park below the SNH buildings at Aberarder. image caption Lochan Coire Ardair with the Creag Meagaidh cliffs in the background, taken by Dianne McLeish from Burghead on a climbing day out. Creag Meagaidh ( "Craig Maggie" ) is a complex mountain with a flat summit plateau and five ridges. We had a very leisurely 11am start on Creag Meagaidh (why not? Initially stony slopes are descended west to pick up the main ridge line and pleasant grassy going over Meall an-t-Snaim to a narrower and rockier section leading to a notch in the ridge below the well-defined summit of Sron Coire a‘ Chriochairean. To get a real sense of what makes Creag Meagaidh special, keep walking up the glen from the high point of the Allt Dubh Trail. Creag Meagaidh is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Spean in the Highlands of Scotland. There is a short, steep little ascent from here to reach Sron Coire a'Chriochairein. Please consider setting up a direct debit donation to help support the continued maintenance and updates to Walkhighlands. Take a stroll by the river, watch for goldfinches and deer, or explore the lochan at Coire Ardair for spectacular views of Creag Meagaidh's magnificent cliffs. The posts turn sharply and you might be tempted in mist to follow them - don't as they come to an abrupt halt above a 20m drop ! This spectacular crag overlooks a beautiful, tranquil lochan - Lochain a' Choire. Coire Ardair is one of the most spectacular corries in Scotland, with the "Post face" rising 400m above Lochan a' Choire. At a clear junction, ignore the red pine marten signpost and take the right hand branch which climbs gently. The lower part of the glen is clothed with a wonderful remnant of the ancient forest, and further still are the regenerating areas helped by the National Nature Reserve. While it looks dull from the road – there's little to distinguish it from all the other rounded lumps as you drive past along the A86 – the concealed Coire Ardair is home to one of the finest mountain walls in Scotland, a multi-buttressed face rising above the waters of Lochan a' Choire. Thankfully, a dry first forecasting day to start the 2020/21 winter season here at Creag Meagaidh. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. But (and there’s always a but…) it was gloomy above 700m due to the very low and dense cloud cover. A 14k there and back route along a good and mostly gently ascending path to the Lochan a’Choire in Coire Ardair and the magnificent cliffs of Creag Meagaidh. Today Karen and I had a wander up to here and for Karen a swim in the icy cold waters. After some deep fried dinner in the anti-bustling Fort Bill, we headed over to doss in Creag Meagaidh car … Although the summits can often be in cloud, the ridge between Carn Liath and Stob Poite Coire Ardair can often be clear. If we are feeling energetic, there may be the option of continuing all the way to the summit of Creag Meagaidh itself (3,700ft summit) or we may just idly descend back down to … The footpath crosses a track before reaching the whitewashed former farm which is now part of the National Nature Reserve, run by Scottish Natural Heritage; there are sheltered picnic tables here. From the skiers point of view, there's a great high level tour round the tops of the corrie, but there are some fantasctic long descents to be had into Coire Ardair itself. Cross this to a giant, very old looking cairn on the northern fringe of the tablelands beyond - Mad Meg's cairn. A short ascent along this ridge brings the cairn of Creag Meagaidh into view. Fabulous hard snow all the way from the lochan to the top of The Window. There is a particularly superb view from a slight detour off the path, around 300m before reaching the summit. A bit of History. People are asked to stay at home except for essential purposes. Having ascended Creag Meagaidh only once previously, way back in 2001, it was seriously overdue a re-visit. This takes you to Coire Ardair – a wild but peaceful place with a lochan … And it is, as long as you can find somewhere breezy to keep off the midges. The Creag Meagaidh circuit is one of the classic walks in the Highlands and allows no fewer than three Munros to be climbed relatively easily in one day. Instead, mindful of needing an easy route to help contemplation, I opted for the Aberarder path leading towards Creag Meagaidh, but only as far as Lochan a' Choire in Coire Ardair. Combining Creag Meagaidh with these peaks makes for a fine circuit with options of returning through Coire Ardair or staying high over Puist Coire Ardair for long-lasting views. Beware in winter months, you'll most likely be in the shade most of the return. Park at the reserve visitor centre which is on the A86 along side Loch Laggan. Have you found an error or is any information wrong or missing? Creag Meagaidh Coire Ardair is one of the most spectacular corries in Scotland, with the "Post face" rising 400m above Lochan a' Choire. Coire Ardair, Creag Meagaidh. Just as well, as when in mist, carefully navigation from Carn Liath is needed, since the path is very faint. Height: 1130m (3707ft) Personality: Creag Meagaidh is a mountain of exceptional quality. Keep to the path down to 'The Window'. The path zig-zags down steep ground as it tries to avoid boulderfield in the gully. The summit plateau of Creag Meagaidh can be difficult to navigate in poor visibility - precipices nearby! This is the highest mountain in the area at 1130 metres, and the views are very extensive on a clear day. Creag Meagaidh is a magnificent massif, a bare plateau fringed by some of the grandest cliffs in Scotland. If joining the route at this point following an ascent from the lochan, be sure to head to the west end of the Window, as a faint path heading up Creag Meagaidh from the east end is uncomfortably steep. The great plateau of Creag Meagaidh in the heart of the Highlands is a massive complex mountain worthy of much exploration. ... Below, the lochan that fills the corrie was a dark lozenge. The first part of this moderate walk, which follows a very good path, passes through the regenerating woodland of the National Nature Reserve. There is a 3 mile path to Coire Lochan and the … Rugged mountain walk. It is well known for the cliffs around Coire Ardair on the north-eastern face. Head west down the open slopes and over the insignificant swelling of Meall an t-Snaim. This route is preferred if you need a quicker descent, to get out of westerly winds and just want to follow an obvious path all the way back. From the skiers point of view, there's a great high level tour round the tops of the corrie, but there are some fantasctic long descents to be had into Coire Ardair itself. Lovely views throughout. From the car-park, head up towards the buildings at Aberarder. There is a good-sized car park at Aberarder on the north side of the A86, opposite Loch Laggan. These crags are renowned for winter climbing routes. A scene both wild and peaceful. This tiny sheet of water is utterly overpowered by the great bulk of Creag Meagaidh's cliffs high above. From here the slopes begin to narrow to form a ridge, and old iron rusty fence posts point the way towards the peculiar trench-like bealach of Uinneas Min Choire. Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve in the Monadhliath Mountains is a rocky landscape of ice gorged summits, plateaus and ridges that extends from north-east Lochaber into the Cairngorms. The reserve extends from the shoreline of Loch Laggan to the high summits of the hills that form the whaleback ridge surrounding the ‘great bowl’ of Coire Ardair. Lochan a Choire is a freshwater, stony bottom loch surrounded by the imposing whale back ridge of Creag Meagaidh. The history of climbing on Creag Meagaidh reads like a who's who of Scottish Winter climbing. It doesn't get dark till 7pm). However by the time I reached the lochan at the head of the corrie I was in shadow. The Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve is a wonderful three munro circuit with some dramatic mountain scenery. Take a stroll by the river, watch for goldfinches and deer, or explore the lochan at Coire Ardair for spectacular views of Creag Meagaidh’s magnificent cliffs. I've seen campervans stay overnight here and the occasional tent over the wall by the Allt Coire Ardair ! Hear pronunciation Press to hear pronunciation. Creag Meagaidh is situated 1¼ miles west of Lochan a’ Choire. On shorter days in winter months, you'll stay in sunshine longer ! (Above) Lochan a Choire with the crags of the Post Face largely obscured. (Above) Creag Meagaidh’s Inner Coire and the slopes to ‘The Window’ looking fairly lean after an overnight thaw. Descend south southwest to reach 'The Window', the bealach between the ridge just traversed and Creag Meagaidh itself. This route is preferred in clear weather, as views are vast and last longer. This isn't the summit of the mountain though; for this, continue westwards where the plateau soon narrows to form a ridge. Please let us know by clicking here. This is the second Munro at 1053 metres. From Creag Meagaidh's summit, retrace your steps down the crest to where the ground flattens out, well before Mad Meg's Cairn. “It makes a good alternative to the Direct, “ Michael explained. To the east of Puist Coire Ardair, the crest narrows, with the path making a way - there are some fine vantage points above Coire Ardair. The 2017-2018 SNH graduates took to the Scottish Highlands in a cold December to learn more about reserve management, and volunteering at Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. 'The Window' is set well back from Coire Ardair and there is no view down to the lochan. About 20km drive from our house is Loch Laggan, which is a wonderful walking and wildlife area. The Creag Meagaidh range includes two other Munros - … Continue on the path which soon becomes pitched as it climbs through the fine regenerating birchwoods. From here the ridge becomes much better defined, with steep drops to the left and stunning views. Descend the steep slopes leading east from the Window; the path is steep, stony and eroded and keeps to the left on the way down at first, before switching to the right on the second steep section. Creag Meagaidh. Ideal for an easy canicross run with no difficulties along the way. Walk of the week: Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve, Highlands Loop round an ancient lochan and discover mica-sparkling rocks and Arctic char. As always the walk into Coire Ardair is just wonderful (if you ever tire of walking into Coire Ardair then hang up your boots!). The lochan supports freshwater shrimp, stickleback and brown trout, whilst the watercourse, Allt Coire Ardair, contains brown trout and lamprey. With Munro summits, an exposed whaleback ridge and ice-carved gullies, Creag Meagaidh is the complete mountain experience. Creag Meagaidh and the surrounding peaks and hill-side moorland are situated within the National Nature Reserve ... 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