Ben Nevis via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête

The Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête is the connoisseur’s Ben Nevis. It’s longer than the Mountain Track, harder, more exposed, and several orders of magnitude more spectacular — the sustained airy ridge between Càrn Mòr Dearg (1,220 m, 9th highest mountain in Scotland) and Ben Nevis summit, on rock and crest above the great cliffs of the North Face. For experienced hill walkers comfortable with exposure, this is the finest way to climb Ben Nevis. For everyone else, it’s the Mountain Track.

The CMD Arête is rated Grade 1 scramble — the easiest scrambling grade. There are sections where you’ll use your hands; most of the arête is walking on a faint path that weaves below the rock steps. The proper scrambling is brief; what makes the route demanding is the sustained exposure (a fall to either side has consequences) and the day length (10–13 hours, 17.9 km, 1,500+ m of ascent on pathless ground).

The route

The standard start is the North Face car park at Torlundy, four miles north of Fort William off the A82. (Some parties start from Glen Nevis Visitor Centre via Halfway Lochan and the link path through to Coire Leis — adds ~3 km but means you finish the day at the same car park you started in. Most parties stay with Torlundy and either arrange a pickup at the visitor centre or walk the road back from Glen Nevis to Torlundy via Fort William, an additional 6 km.)

From Torlundy the Allt a’ Mhuilinn track climbs steadily into the corrie below the North Face — about 5 km of approach on a good track, gaining ~600 m to the CIC Hut at ~680 m. The CIC Hut (Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut) is the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s climbers’ hut, built in 1929 and the base for serious winter and summer climbing on the cliffs above. It’s members-only for overnight stays but the path past it is open.

From the CIC Hut, the route climbs south-east up the south flank of Càrn Mòr Dearg — pathless rough ground, scree and grass, ~540 m of ascent to the CMD summit. Allow 2–2.5 hours from the hut.

From CMD summit, the arête itself begins. It’s roughly 1.5 km long and curves south-west, dropping to a low point at ~1,160 m before climbing back to the eastern abutment of Ben Nevis. The path weaves on the western (Glen Nevis) side of the crest below most of the rock steps; experienced scramblers stick to the true crest where the situations are most spectacular. The exposure is most pronounced in the middle third — narrow blocky walking with several hundred metres of drop on either side.

The arête joins the Ben Nevis plateau at the eastern edge of the summit cairn area. From there it’s a short walk across the plateau to the summit cairn — the same cairn the Mountain Track reaches.

Descent is by the Mountain Track — the standard pattern, much faster and much easier on the legs than retracing the arête. About 3–4 hours down to Glen Nevis Visitor Centre. (If you started at Torlundy, you finish at Glen Nevis Visitor Centre and need the road shuttle or onward walk to Torlundy.)

Navigation, weather and kit

The same plateau navigation rules as the Mountain Track apply for the descent — bearings 231° / 281°, written down, used in cloud. The arête itself is unmistakable in clear weather but vague in dense cloud; if you can’t see your hand in front of your face on the arête, the right move is to retreat back along it to CMD and descend by the south face of CMD rather than push on across the plateau.

Recommended kit beyond the standard summer Munro kit:

• Helmet. Worth wearing on the arête — not for falls but for rockfall from parties above, and for the small chance of a slip onto rock yourself.
• Ice axe. Sensible into June for the Coire Leis approach (snow patches in shady ground).
• Head torch. Always — the day runs long and emergencies happen.
• Map and compass. Phone and GPS supplementary, never primary.

When to go

May to early October is the practical window. June and September are the sweet spots — daylight long enough for the 10–13 hour day, low midge pressure, summit snow gone above 800 m. July and August are busy on the Mountain Track; the CMD Arête is much quieter, but the descent route is shared.

November to April the route becomes serious winter mountaineering. The arête cornices reliably from December — the eastern (Coire Leis) edge builds heavy snow shoulders, and the cornice is invisible from the crest. Winter ascents need ice axe, crampons, the experience to use them, and partners who know what they’re doing. Out of scope for this route description.

Source

• Walkhighlands — Ben Nevis by the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête — definitive route description with photos.
• UKHillwalking route card — Ben Nevis via the CMD Arête from Glen Nevis.
• The SMC’s Ben Nevis (Simon Richardson) is the comprehensive guidebook for the cliffs and ridges.