Soapbox

Just to point out that even though you follow the MCofS recommendation and suggest going down from Sgurr a' Mhaim on NW ridge, your map shows the NE ridge descent.

Jan

You have eagle eyes - well spotted!

As an aside the NW ridge is probably safer than the NE ridge although it is pretty steep and the path fizzles out in places (unless I lost the route) - quite easy to end up on steep wet grass I found. This being my least favourite mountain terrain!

Went down NE ridge (at least part way as it got *loody steep at one point and I deviated right/eastish) years ago under icy conditions and in thick fog and ended up in Coire nam Cnamh (must have gone back left/northish at some point!) somewhat confused and a bit nervous esp' as daylight was running out! I had to go a long way 'upstream' before I could safely cross the flow of water seperating me from the zig-zag path down from An Gearanach which I eventually used to descend (safely).

I learn't a lot that day!

Cheers

Nick

I have always used the North-West ridge to Polldubh in Glen Nevis.

I have read warnings about coming down beside the Steall waterfall - not advised.

You can in fact descend north-west and then north to cross a foot bridge midway between Polldubh and the car park at the head of Glen Nevis. The bridge was there a couple of weeks ago when I did the Ring of Steall with clients, although I came down to Polldubh as we had two cars.

I have had the misfortune of descending the steep ground that the MCofS specifically tell you not to. I hadn't done the route before and had not read the warnings.

We were doing the recommended clock-wise route in winter and the weather worsened dramatically after Am Bodach so we bugged out into the coire. Without the knowledge of what was there, we naturally followed the water course and ended up descending to the west of the waterfall and I can tell you it was VERY scary. It was getting very dark so we didn't have time to re-ascend and go around. The ground is boggy, and very very loose. There is no-where to place protection of abseil ropes and there are deep stream beds to cross with wet moss-covered rocks. Very nasty indeed.

Fortunately we reached the valley floor safely with a good lesson learnt but I can say from experience - avoid this at all costs!

A variation on the descent from Sgurr a'Mhaim which avoids the horrid scree on the upper section of the NW ridge is this: descend the NE ridge for about 300m to a small col. From here an old stalkers' path descends the N coire, and then
traverses diagonally in a fine situation to join the NW ridge at about 670m. This path is shown on the 1:25000 map, but not on the 1:50000. If returning to the end-of-the-road
car park it it possible to descend from the
end of the diagonal traverse to the foot bridge which Lindsay mentions: where the path levels out follow an obvious shelf back down right, then pick a route down the lower slopes.