Lochaber Traverse
While the 'Lochaber Traverse' taking in the Grey Corries, Aonachs, Càrn Mòr Dearg and Ben Nevis has always been a significant constituent part of both Tranter's and Ramsay's Rounds as well as a popular big hill day in its own right, for some reason it's taken till 2020 to get it listed as a separate route in this section of the SHR site. The inspiration for finally doing so comes partly from Finlay Wild's page at Go Mountain Goats and partly from an inescapable feeling that it's overdue here!
Since Finlay's already done the work in defining an FKT route and listing the best times so far, we're not about to reinvent the wheel here, so here's what he suggests and we're now endorsing:
Start at the statue of the Wee Minister on the Corriechoille track, finish by touching the bridge by Glen Nevis Youth Hostel and stick to Ben Nevis Race rules regarding the 'grassy bank' on the final descent.
Required summits:
- Stob Choire Claurigh (Munro)
- Stob Coire an Laoigh (Munro)
- Stob Coire Easain (Munro Top)
- Sgùrr Choinnich Mòr (Munro)
- Sgùrr Choinnich Beag (Munro Top)
- Aonach Beag (Munro)
- Aonach Mòr (Munro)
- Càrn Mòr Dearg (Munro)
- Ben Nevis (Munro)
Note that the list of required summits differs from Tranter's and Ramsay's Rounds in omitting the Munro Stob Bàn (perhaps a somewhat awkward diversion from the northerly start) and including the subsidiary tops of Stob Coire Easain and Sgùrr Choinnich Beag (which seem aesthetically welcome).
Finlay lists the route as 25.5km with 2,500m of ascent. Perhaps not surprisingly, his own inaugural male time of 3:32:25 (hrs:mins:sec) set on 30th June 2020 has not yet been bettered. The female FKT has already dropped from 7:05:23 (Suzy Devey, 8th June 2020) and 5:44:12 (Sarah MacDonald, 19th July 2020) to 5:33:29 by Georgia Tindley on 15th August 2020. But Finlay also appears to be listing top-10 times, so you can still get on his page even if you can't challenge the very best!
Page new 27th December 2020