Friday 28th September 2018. An ascent of the Aonachs, Lochaber, West Highlands, Scotland. 17.2km, with 1360m of ascent. 8 hours 50mins.

The hills were Sgurr a’Bhuic 963m/65m, Stob Coire Bhealaich 1100m/15m, Aonach Beag 1234m/404m and Aonach Mòr 1221m/134m.

When we had stayed in Blaich, on the south side of Loch Eil, in the autumn of 2017, we had been prevented from undertaking this grand hike by a land-slip in the Nevis Gorge. This year we had better luck. BC, who was still injured after a bike accident, dropped the three of us off at the upper Glen Nevis car park, where the road ends. We took the short walk up the gorge, with the Waters of Nevis roaring below us, in the company of two Spanish girls out for a smart-phone photo-shoot.

I never cease to be amazed at the scene that opens up as you emerge from the confines of the gorge – the wide flat strath, backed by the tumbling torrent of the Steall Falls, and the wall of the high Mamores above. And, literally, to top it all, Ben Nevis broods menacingly at the bottom of the valley.

We made easy progress through the meadows to the ruins at Steall, with autumn sunshine to lighten our spirits. Behind the ruins a faint path headed up beside the burn - the Allt Coire nan Laogh – to gain the south-west ridge of Sgurr a’Bhuic. We lost this path further up, ending up traversing the southern slopes of the hill on what we eventually discovered was a sheep track. Rather than reversing and losing height, we committed to a very steep ascent up a shallow corrie between crags to gain the ridge.

The weather was changing rapidly. The south-west wind was increasing in strength, bringing in wreaths of cloud and mist to shroud the higher tops. I caught the others up, not feeling in the best of health. My stomach was aching, and I was in the early stages of a heavy cold. However, we were so high now, and without transport from Glen Nevis, that turning back would have been as much of a struggle as heading on. We donned hats, gloves and waterproof layers – and kept them on for the rest of the hike. Winter was approaching the Scottish Highlands.

A gnarled ridge of ancient quartzite crags and outcrops led us up to the airy summit of Sgurr a’Bhuic – an elegant outlying top of the main massif. We headed steeply down to a bealach, sheltering from the wind behind some crags to rest awhile, drink and re-fuel. A steep ascent followed, also with a change in the geology from quartzite to sandy schists. The curving ridge of Stob Coire Bhealaich continued, without a significant drop, to a bealach before the precipitous east face of Aonach Beag. A further steep ascent, wary of the plunging drop to our right, brought us to the diminutive summit cairn, perched above the cliff. We proved lucky with the view. As we headed down, the cloud lifted somewhat so that all but the last few metres of Ben Nevis were disclosed.

Aonach Mor was now in view, making the somewhat tricky navigational leg to the intervening bealach redundant. A steady pull up grass, now on granite, to its summit ensued, during which we encountered the first people we had met since leaving the strath – a group of lady walkers heading back after visiting the summit. We reached the large cairn, now again in hill-fog, with no view. A small swift celebration was called for, as this was my final 4000ft Munro. I produced a wee dram to share with my companions, before beginning our descent.

Careful navigation was needed, as the wide curving grass ridge hid steep cliffs to left and right. Close attention to paper map and hand-held GPS brought us down without mishap to the top of the first of the ski-tows. These proved useful handrails in the mist. Eventually we reached the top gondola station, where we were asked if we intended to ride down. Time was now getting on towards dusk, but it would not have felt right to finish our hike by such mechanical means. Instead we chose to descend by the steep and circuitous downhill bike track to the car park some 550 metres below. This was safe at this hour, as no bikers were ascending on the gondolas. Reaching the forest, we followed signs to the bottom station, where BC was waiting for us with his vehicle.