Aonach Eagach
Encyclopedia
- For the mathematical function known as a "Devil's staircase", see Singular function.
The Aonach Eagach (
) is a rocky ridge lying to the north of Glen Coe
Glen Coe
Glen Coe is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the county of Argyll. It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated...
in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, boasting two Munro
Munro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
summits.
In length the full ridge continues for 10 km from the Pap of Glencoe
Pap of Glencoe
The Pap of Glencoe is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies at the western end of the Aonach Eagach ridge, directly above the point where the River Coe enters Loch Leven....
at the west to the eastern end at the Devil's Staircase. The central section, some 2 km in length, is very rocky and the route along it requires scrambling
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
ability. The slopes to each side are extremely dangerous, with steep grass and scree slopes hiding even steeper slopes which end in cliffs on both north and south sides of the ridge.
The Aonach Eagach is usually regarded as the most difficult 'scrambling' ridge in mainland Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, though it vies with Liathach
Liathach
Liathach is one of the most famous of the Torridon Hills. It lies to the north of the A896 road, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, and has two peaks of Munro status: Spidean a' Choire Leith at the east of the main ridge, and Mullach an Rathain at the western end of the mountain...
, and in winter An Teallach
An Teallach
An Teallach is a mountain in Scotland. It lies to the southwest of Dundonnell and overlooks Little Loch Broom, in an area often nicknamed the "great wilderness"...
, for this title.
Traverse of the ridge
The Aonach Eagach is normally tackled from the Glen Coe (south) side in an east–west traverse. From Allt-na-reigh near the head of Glen Coe it is possible to ascend grass slopes leading to Am Bodach (a subsidiary MunroMunro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
top), before continuing westwards along the ridge to the first Munro proper, Meal Dearg.
From here the summit of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh lies only two kilometres to the west, but a number of pinnacles must be scrambled over, and it is not uncommon for parties to take more than two hours to cross this seemingly short distance. There are a couple of sections where the use of a rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
may prove prudent.
From Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, the most direct descent is to head south by southwest, down a steep zig-zag path
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
leading by the side of Clachaig gully
Gully
A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width...
. This 'path' is exceptionally steep and extremely loose in places, and has many small rock steps; it approaches close to the main gully in several places and so is potentially dangerous (fatal accidents have occurred here). A gentler alternative is to continue along the ridge, until reaching the bealach
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
between Sgorr nam Fiannaidh and the Pap of Glencoe
Pap of Glencoe
The Pap of Glencoe is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies at the western end of the Aonach Eagach ridge, directly above the point where the River Coe enters Loch Leven....
. From here a track heads down the hillside, ending on the road just outside Glencoe village
Glencoe, Scotland
Glencoe Village is the main settlement in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe)....
. It is also possible to retreat approximately 200m east from the summit of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh and descend directly down the scree slope to Loch Achtriochtan, taking care to avoid being drawn into gullies further down. This descent also requires care, particularly near the top, but is still far safer than the Clachaig Gully descent.
Alternatively, the two Munros may be climbed individually by simply descending by the route of ascent. However it is for the traverse
Traverse (climbing)
A traverse is a lateral move or route when climbing; going mainly sideways rather than up or down. Traversing a climbing wall is a good warm-up exercise....
that the Aonach Eagach is best known.
In winter, the ridge is a fine expedition, though considerably harder than in summer (Scottish Winter Grade I/II), and many parties will go roped for some sections. Because of the short winter days, benightment on the ridge or its approaches is also not infrequent.
Devil's Staircase
West Highland Way
The West Highland Way is a linear long distance footpath in Scotland, with the official status of Long Distance Route. It is 154.5km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route...
, it is used primarily by walkers and mountain bikers travelling between Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven is a village in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands and lies at the eastern end of Loch Leven, a sea loch cutting into the western Scottish Highlands. To the north lie the Mamores ridge; to the south lie the mountains flanking Glen Coe...
and Glencoe.
The Devil's Staircase was given its name by the soldiers who were part of the road building programme of General Wade, because of the difficulties of carrying building materials up that stretch of the road. Later, however, the road lived up to its name when workers building the Blackwater Dam chose to travel to the Kingshouse Hotel after they had been paid. For the workers at Kinlochleven the journey to the pub often proved to be more difficult than they realised and on the return trip, after a few drinks on a cold winter's night, the devil often ”claimed his own“.
In 1692, the path was the approach route for the (apparently delayed) troops coming from Kinlochleven to provide reinforcements for the Massacre of Glencoe
Massacre of Glencoe
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in...
.