Western Glen Affric Munros

Affric Hostel below An Socach

Reaching the Affric Hostel can be done through a variety of routes. One option is to hike from Cluanie to the south, crossing a soggy bealach. Another is to approach from Morvich in the west, using paths that wind through Strath Croe and Gleann Gniomhaidh. However, perhaps the easiest and most enjoyable way to reach the hostel is by cycling from the road end in Glen Affric - this is described below.

To get to Glen Affric, begin west of Inverness where the A831 runs from Beauly through Strathglass and Glen Urquhart to Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness. At the southern end of Strathglass lies the village of Cannich.

From Cannich, follow Main Street south-west along Strathglass for 3km to reach Fasnakyle Power Station. The road splits - take the right-hand fork, following signs for Glen Affric. After this junction, the road narrows and continues for a further 15km, ending at a large woodland car park near the head of Loch Affric.

From the car park, take the track that crosses over the River Affric and follow it along the southern shore of Loch Affric for 7km. Along the way, you will encounter a couple of inclines before reaching a junction. At the junction, stay to the right and follow the track along the southern bank of the River Affric until you come to a bridge.

Cross the bridge, where the track, now quite rough, climbs briefly under Strawberry Cottage, a potential accommodation option (further details are available on the An Teallach Mountaineering website).

From Strawberry Cottage, the rough track continues along the northern bank of the River Affric for another 6km, leading directly to the hostel.

Details of Affric Hostel and how to book accommodation can be found on the Hostelling Scotland website.

On the path above Affric Hostel

From Affric Hostel, take the obvious path heading north, skirting around the hostel's bunkhouse. The path soon veers east, crossing the Allt na Faing, before passing through a gate in a deer fence. It then ascends through woodland, following the eastern bank of the burn.

The climb is gentle for the most part, gaining approximately 400m of height over the next 2m. As the path winds its way into Coire na Cloiche, it twists and turns, eventually reaching the bealach just east of the minor summit of Stob Coire na Cloiche.

The approach to An Socach

The approach to An Socach

Descending An Socach nearing Stob Coire na Cloiche

From An Socach's summit, turn back and retrace your steps westward to the bealach below Stob Coire na Cloiche.

The bealach overlooks a north-facing coire, with crags lining the upper slopes. To bypass these crags, continue westward for a short distance, gaining a couple of contours while searching for an obvious grassy break in the crags. Once located, descend west-northwest down steep, grassy, and loose terrain to reach the moorland east of Loch Coire nan Dearcag.

After crossing the burn that flows out of the loch, head north toward Carn na Con Dhu, a 'Munro Top'. As the gradient steepens, rather than climbing directly to this summit, take an easier and more enjoyable route by contouring around its eastern base on grassy ground.

The final climb up Mullach na Dheiragain

The final climb up Mullach na Dheiragain

Climbing up Carn na Con Dhu

Leave Mullach na Dheiragain's summit behind and retrace your steps aim southwards back toward Bealach na Con Dhu .

In fine conditions, keep to the path sticking to the crest, which narrows as it climbs to gain the wide plateau of Carn na Con Dhu . Sections of boulders have then to be crossed before descending down to the next col, Bealach nan Daoine .

Alternatively, if strong winds are blowing from the west, you may opt to stay sheltered by contouring again around the eastern side of Carn na Con Dhu to reach to Bealach nan Daoine . This route also avoids around 100m of ascent that would otherwise be needed if traversing over Carn na Con Dhu.

Nearing Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan's summit, looking back to Mullach na Dheiragain

Nearing Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan's summit, looking back to Mullach na Dheiragain

On Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan's summit looking to Kintail

To begin the return to Affric Hostel, follow the obvious worn path descending Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan's southeastern shoulder. After dropping approximately 150m and before reaching a minor summit (marked on maps with a 970m spot height), turn south, leaving the shoulder. The descent is fairly steep and loose initially, but presents no significant difficulties.

Descending Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan towards Glen Affric

Descending Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan towards Glen Affric

The western summit of Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan

Mullach Sithidh , a 'Munro Top,' lies just north of Mullach na Dheiragain's summit . While it may not be the most thrilling peak, the short there-and-back detour is worthwhile for the views.

Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan also has a 'Munro Top' a short distance west of its main summit. Reaching it involves some easy scrambling. Beyond this, a ridge extends northward with three additional Munro Tops : Stuc Bheag , Stuc Mor and Stuc Fraoch Choire . This 5km there-and-back detour involves an extra 440m of ascent.

For the descent back to Affric Hostel from Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan's western top , head south, following a line of old iron fence posts. After a short distance, the route turns over Beinn an t-Socaich, descending its southeastern shoulder on grassy terrain directly to the hostel.

If approaching An Socach from Glen Affric on foot (rather than by bike), you can take a stalker's path heading north from a bridge over the Allt Coire Ghaidheil. This leads to a bealach between An Socach and Mam Sodhail, from which a path ascends An Socach's northeastern shoulder to its summit .

If starting from Morvich, you can include the Corbett of Sgurr Gaorsaic in your itinerary. This involves descending Sgurr Gaorsaic's eastern slopes before ascending to Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan's western top . From there, follow the Munro summits in reverse of the route described in the above sections.