A massive day out on Scotland’s magnificent massif
Four-munro round is a superb test for climbers
A massive lump of a mountain, Creag Meagaidh is a highlight of any Munro round.
Just west of Loch Laggan, in Glen Spean, Creag Meagaidh is more a massif than a mountain – its vast plateau has four subsidiary tops, and, separated by the glacial notch known as “The Window” are two more Munros, Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath.
Munro-baggers tend to climb all three together, in a high-level walk of 21km (13.1 miles) and 1,100m (3,600ft) of ascent that will take about 8 hours.
I recommend it as a single, as the route gives a taste of the best of the mountain. It takes you first into the grand amphitheatre of Coire Ardair, then through The Window and, after the summit, along the rim of the cliffs that tower above the corrie, before finally descending easy slopes through vast patches of wonderfully aromatic bog myrtle.
It’s a superb day out. Coire Ardair is a famous climbing venue, attracting climbers from all over the world.
There’s not much summer climbing – the cliffs are far too wet and vegetated – but as a winter venue they’re second only to Ben Nevis. The great cliffs of the corrie are some of the highest in the British Isles.
Facing north-east, they get little sun and hold snow and ice late into spring. Most routes are long and in the higher grades – so not for beginners.
The mountain is also a notorious avalanche spot. The extensive summit plateau is an undulating, rather featureless area – in foul weather navigation is difficult.
Coming up from The Window, you reach an enormous, ancient cairn known as Mad Meg’s Cairn. It’s often mistaken for the summit. The origin of the cairn’s name is lost in the mists of time. The outdoor writer and broadcaster Cameron Mcneish cites a local legend that says it marks the grave of an 18th-century suicide. Denied a churchyard burial her family, the story goes, instead carried her on to the mountain.