An Gearanach

An Gearanach, at 982 metres, is the first Munro reached on the classic Ring of Steall circuit through the heart of the Mamores, its narrow ridge continuing to the dramatic rocky arête of An Garbhanach beyond.

The route starts from the car park at the very end of the road up Glen Nevis, following the popular main path up the glen through deciduous woodland, with the gorge narrowing and giving something of an Alpine feel where cliffs rise across the river. Beyond the spectacular Steall waterfall, an infamous wire bridge — one strand to walk on, one for each hand — crosses the Water of Nevis, feeling more wobbly than most remember from time to time. From here a steep path climbs the hillside into a small corrie before swinging onto the north-west ridge, with the ascent finally relenting onto a straightforward grassy section before the final pull to An Gearanach's summit, with tremendous views back to Ben Nevis and across to Sgùrr a' Mhaim.

Beyond the summit, the ridge narrows to the dramatic, rocky arête of An Garbhanach — an airy, fairly straightforward but genuinely exposed scramble, often compared to (and slightly harder than) the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête, with excellent rock throughout. The scrambling continues down to a bealach before Stob Coire a' Chàirn, the second Munro of the circuit.

The full Ring of Steall — An Gearanach, Stob Coire a' Chàirn, Am Bodach, and Sgùrr a' Mhaim, with the Devil's Ridge and several named tops besides — is around 18 kilometres with roughly 1,680 metres of ascent, typically eight to ten hours for the complete circuit.

The scrambling on An Garbhanach immediately beyond An Gearanach is genuinely exposed, and the wire bridge crossing at the start requires confidence and care, particularly in wet conditions — this is not a beginner's route, and the whole circuit should be treated as a serious, long mountain day requiring full scrambling competence.

The Lower Falls car park at Polldubh is chargeable; a seasonal bus runs up Glen Nevis from Fort William between May and September.