Alex Roddie tackles Glen Coe’s infamous Aonach Eagach scrambling route west to east: the ‘wrong’ way for some, but a new way for him
I WONDER IF outdoors people are all ‘outsiders’ to some degree. We thrive on a sense of freedom and prize our independence. To a greater or lesser extent, we like to go our own way and do our own thing – either on our own or with friends. We all begin somewhere (hopefully at the beginning!), but equally we’re all chasing the wow factor, at whatever level. And who doesn’t enjoy the novel – an unusual perspective on the familiar view that hasn’t been Instagrammed to death – or savour the thrill of a hidden gem?
As I’ve progressed away from the more popular trails as a backpacker, I’ve returned to scrambling as a way to make the old new again, to scratch the itch of discovery. Clambering about on non-technical but impressive rocky ways up mountains is fun, accessible, and feels like real exploration all over again.
For those building up confidence, there are dozens of straightforward and satisfying Grade 1 routes that can be tackled by most hillgoers. You need to be fit enough to climb a hill and have a head for heights – and a sense of due caution. Things get a little trickier at Grade 2 and beyond, where the technicalities ramp up and escape options may be limited.
The Aonach Eagach, Glen Coe’s famous ‘Notched Ridge’, sits at this next level. It’s a long ridgeline scramble with some very exposed sections and a few technical steps, but arguably it doesn’t leave much scope for creativity. That’s predominantly because it’s difficult to escape from, so there’s only one way to complete it. Or is there...?
UP TO THE SKYLINE
I was back in Glen Coe for the first time in several months and wanted to try the Glen Coe Skyline (over the Aonach Eagach, Buachaille Etive Mor and Beag, then the Bidean nam Bian range) as a continuous backpacking route. Why? Because I’d never done them all in one go before, but they are favourite hills and I fancied putting a different spin on old experiences.
Most guidebooks describe the Aonach Eagach east to west. The traverse along the rocky spine between Am Bodach, Meall Dearg, Stob Coire Leith and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh isn’t a climb from bottom to top, but a high-level, hands-on journey towards the sea. It can get busy on fine days, so it’s not commonly done eastbound – the last thing you want is to be going against the grain on such a narrow and exposed ridge. I’d done it several times before, and not once had I ever considered going eastbound.
Yet, as I planned my Skyline, I had the weather to consider. With only one guaranteed dry day before a question mark in the forecast, I decided to get the scrambling out of the way first – which meant going clockwise. Eastbound. Scrambl
