Walking the Munros Vol 1 - Southern, Central and Western Highlands. Steve Kew

on the east ridge. The start (cairned) drops down quite abruptly. This path is followed right down the ridge until it crosses a stalker’s path coming up from the Old Military Road. Taking the north fork of this crossing will take you directly back to Polldubh. Instead, cross over this path to reach a little lochan which feeds the Allt Coire a’ Mhusgain. Here the ways diverge: one path passing to the north of the lochan rises directly to Stob Choire a’ Mhail; the other, passing to its south, leads to Sgor an Iubhair, which until 1997 was accorded the status of a Munro in its own right. It is worth taking in this extra top; to do so take the path to the southeast. After a short distance this path splits at 15969 65273. Take the left branch and work your way up the block-strewn landscape to the summit at 16526 65506 (4hrs 40mins).

      Leaving the summit to the northwest, the ridge soon narrows to a knife-edged arête – this is the Devil’s Ridge. There are no particularly difficult moves on this section unless the path is banked with snow, but it provides a wonderful airy walk with exposure on both sides. Route-finding here is not a problem. If you think you’ve lost the path, check your altitude: you may just have fallen a few hundred metres. The path rises over a minor top, Stob Choire a’ Mhail, before eventually reaching the broad quartzite flanks of Sgurr a’ Mhaim (16466 66724) (5hrs 10mins).

      Sgurr a’ Mhaim (Mamores) from Glen Nevis

      The whole of Sgurr a’ Mhaim, which sits on a bed of schist, has been affected by a massive landslip in what are, geologically speaking, quite recent times. Making sure you avoid any slips of your own, descend to the northwest on white quartzite scree and chippings. These soon peter out and from this point on the path descends gently at first, then much more steeply back to Polldubh. Those with weak knees might prefer to do this circuit in the opposite direction as the descent from Sgurr a’ Mhaim is a bone-jarring exercise at the end of a long day. On the other hand many might feel that ascending such a path first thing in the morning is an unsavoury way to start the day.

ROUTE 6

      Na Gruagaichean (1056m), An Gearanach (982m), Stob Coire a’ Chairn (981m), Am Bodach (1032m)