Meall Cumhann – Best Viewpoint in Glen Nevis!

Sat 18 June 2016
I’ve been looking at this particular hill for a very long time now but not got around to doing it. I wasn’t even sure it was possible. On our last walking day of our Roybridge trip this year, Richard and I went up Glen Nevis and I decided this was the day at last…

Meall Cumhann middle of shot

click on photos for full size/resolution

Richard had no interest in accompanying me on even such a fascinating looking hill but we both set off from Achriabhach carpark to walk the rest of the glen up to the Nevis Gorge. The very jaggy, crag-filled Cumhann is in sight all the way up the glen track alongside the river. Although the nearer side is completely crag-girt, the map said the back was free of crag so I was hopeful.

We left the riverside path for the road at Paddy’s Bridge but noticed the path continued along the rising river bank – not sure where it goes in the end – I might follow it sometime to find out…

We passed through the very busy top carpark where several people commented we’d beaten their cars by walking up the hill – we’d only been strolling honest! We’d seen one motorcyclist asleep on a rock in the sun by the roadside (while his partner took photos) which amused me – we passed by quietly.

After the carpark we followed the spectacular path up to the top of the gorge where this scene bursts into view…

Upper Glen Nevis (isn’t the colour saturation better on these Fuji films – I’ve sacked Kodak!)

The Steall Ruin a few years back – there’s only stone bases left now. My route followed the river behind

We then split up – Richard to continue along the river through Upper Glen Nevis where I told him the views of the back of the Mamores and Grey Corries would be spectacular.

I turned left here to follow the nearer bank of the Allt Guiseachean. This is a beautiful walk and passes many lovely cascades and this lovely waterfall. There was a man skinny-dipping in a pool above this on my way back down who hurriedly dressed. If he’d stayed in the pool, and if I hadn’t been hurrying to catch Richard up, I’d have joined him 🙂

From here, the views back down to An Gearanach and The Mamores were superb!

and The Ben came into view (my hill just poking into view on the left)…

Binneins Mor and Beag (Beag is so cute!) 😉

A better view of my hill appeared on the left below The Ben – I could see promising-looking grassy rakes before the crags – it looked easy enough

Aonach Beag – we came down from the Aonachs this way the first time we did them…

At the top of the climb up the river, I turned up my hill and headed for the rake before the crags that I’d seen. The ascent was horrendously steep (although it doesn’t look it in the photo) and was a hands and feet job most of the way. I wasn’t the only person to come up this way though as I found someone’s abandoned drinks can!

After the grass rake past the crags the ground was much less steep but I could see I had quite a way further to go. It was a hot day and I wasn’t going well at all (seems to be my current state now) 😦

Eventually I reached the summit ridge where there are three peaks which all look around the same height so I set about visiting them all. The middle one had a beautiful lochan which made a superb foreground for the dramatic views from this peak!

Looking down to Glen Nevis

The glen between the Carn Mor Dearg Arete (CMD) and the Aonachs

Sgurr a’ Mhaim, Mamores

The Waterslide and Carn Dearg – the Munro Top I did on Ben Nevis last year

the spectacular An Gearanach (can’t choose between these two!)

The back of Ben Nevis has a fantastic gully I’d never noticed before – although it is fully visible from the glen!

As it was so hot, I sat with my feet in the lochan for a while to refresh them while I had coffee and a shortcake biscuit 🙂

This is a stupendous view of the back of the Ben and this is my favourite photo I think!

I think this grassy summit is the highest and there is a nice way down off the end. There is also a little path running through the valley in the gap which comes up from either the start of the Waterslide Path or, I think, also comes up from the Gorge Path. On the Gorge Path, a fairly lusty burn comes down across the path and, if you look on the left, a couple of definite paths set off steeply up the burnsides through the undergrowth. Might try those as well sometime as this hill is well worth another visit 🙂