Winter WONDERLAND
LOCHABER IS A KINGDOM of giants. Britain’s loftiest mountain, Ben Nevis, is the focal point; but this West Highland region is also home to the knife-edge arêtes and jaw-dropping peaks of Glen Coe, the mighty ridges of the Mamores and the Grey Corries, and the splendid isolation of Knoydart.
Arguably, Lochaber is the heartland of mountaineering in the UK. Wasdale in the western Lake District can claim to be the birthplace of rock climbing, but Glen Coe and the north face of Ben Nevis are where climbers pioneered the first winter test pieces. Mountaineers came here to practise before heading to the Alps and Greater Ranges, and it was the stomping ground of working-class climbing clubs like Creagh Dhu and the Ptarmigan, which sprang up from Glasgow shipyard communities.
In winter conditions, the mountains of Lochaber take on a grandeur that goes far beyond their actual heights, becoming almost-Alpine in appearance and challenge. There are plenty of steep-sided thrills and spills you can have here as a hillwalker with the right skills and equipment, but it’s also perfectly possible to enjoy the spectacle in more gentle ways.
To get you excited for the season to come, we asked a host of walkers, photographers and general winter fanatics to share the stories of their finest winter mountain days in this finest of mountain landscapes.
The Herdsman at night
Mountain leader Helen Iles
