Meall Dearg (Aonach Eagach)

Meall Dearg, at 953 metres, is the eastern Munro of the Aonach Eagach — "the notched ridge" — widely regarded as the most difficult scrambling ridge on the Scottish mainland, running along the north side of Glen Coe.

The standard traverse starts from a small car park near Allt-na-reigh in Glen Coe, following a steep path up rough, bouldery ground to the subsidiary top of Am Bodach. From here a sudden, sharp drop of around 20 metres must be down-climbed — awkward but more manageable than it appears from above — before easier rocky ground leads to the bealach and up to Meall Dearg's broad summit. This is a notable spot in Munro-bagging history: it was here in 1901 that the Reverend A.E. Robertson became the first person to complete all the Munros, famously kissing the cairn and then his wife.

From Meall Dearg the ridge narrows dramatically for the crossing to Stob Coire Lèith and on to the second Munro, Sgòrr nam Fiannaidh — a sustained sequence of exposed scrambling including the notorious Crazy Pinnacles, where parties commonly take well over two hours to cover barely two kilometres. There is no safe escape route once committed to this central section; the only realistic bail-out is descending north from Meall Dearg itself before starting the pinnacles.

The full traverse from Glen Coe to Glencoe village is around 10 kilometres, but given the sustained difficulty most parties allow seven to nine hours.

This is graded Grade 2/3 scrambling, included in some climbing guides as a Moderate rock climb, and involves probably the hardest ground on any standard hillwalking route in Scotland — the rock becomes treacherously slippery when wet, and this should only be attempted on a dry day by parties with genuine scrambling experience and a strong head for heights. Many walkers hire a qualified guide for their first crossing.

Parking near Allt-na-reigh is free but limited; Citilink buses run along Glen Coe with request stops.