An Gearanach

An Gearanach is a mountain in the Mamore Forest, five and a half kilometres north of Kinlochleven in the Highland council area. It stands among the Mamores, a group of ten Munros and two Corbetts between Loch Leven and Glen Nevis. The name’s meaning is uncertain, sometimes translated as ‘short ridge’ or ‘the complainer’. Its summit ridge runs north to south for just over a kilometre with steep sides falling into two glens. Three ridges branch north-west, north and north-east towards upper Glen Nevis while a southern ridge leads to the adjoining Munro of Stob Coire a’ Chàirn. The mountain is popular not only for its Munro status but for its place on the Ring of Steall, one of Scotland’s best ridge walks. This route takes in three other Munros—Stob Coire a’ Chàirn, Am Bodach and Sgurr a’ Mhàim—around the glen that feeds the An Steall Bàn waterfall. The falls drop 120 metres down the northern slopes and are passed on the approach from Glen Nevis. A narrow ridge connects An Gearanach to its subsidiary peak An Garbhanach, which once shared Munro status by mistake before being corrected in 1933. An ascent from Glen Nevis crosses the Water of Nevis on a wire suspension bridge and follows a stalkers’ path past the waterfall to gain the northern ridge. The Kinlochleven route climbs Stob Coire a’ Chàirn first before reaching An Gearanach, making a longer out-and-back walk. The northern slopes demand care on the descent to Glen Nevis, where walkers have strayed from the stalkers’ path and encountered crags above the falls. The mountain’s steep flanks and exposed ridges attract experienced walkers seeking a challenging day in the Highlands.