Route Description Statistics
52km / 4,750m

Curved Ridge
The route will ascend Stob Dearg (Buachaille Etive Mor) via the exposed Grade III scramble (a 'Moderate' graded rock climb) of Curved Ridge. 

Aonach Eagach Ridge
The route will complete a full traverse of the Aonach Eagach ridge, which includes exposed Grade II scrambling. The entire ridge is inescapable and once committed competitors must either complete the traverse or reverse back to Checkpoint 10 on the summit of Sgorr nam Fionnadh before returning to the valley bottom.

Fixed Ropes
There will be no fixed ropes to safeguard any sections of the route and competitors must be confident to move safely over Moderate rock climbing terrain in all but the most severe weather conditions.

Recceing the route?

• You are likely to encounter many other recreational users. Please remember that you have no more than an equal right of way.

• Please note that there is a risk of dislodging stones onto people below you on Curved Ridge - take care and be respectful at all times.

Bad Weather Route
The Bad Weather Route will only be used if the weather is forecast to be severe during the race. We must reiterate that competitors must be confident to move safely over Moderate rock climbing terrain in all but the most severe weather conditions. To be clear our expectation is that competitors can solo an exposed Grade III scramble in wet and windy weather.

Cut-Offs
There will cut-offs at Checkpoints 1, 5 and 9. These cut-offs are based on a desire to have all competitors safely off the higher sections of the course before dark and finished by the Course Closure Time, which is 20:30. We are happy for slower competitors to be returning via the West Highland Way footpath into Kinlochleven as it gets dark. These cut-offs are based on a 07:30 start time. The cut-offs are:

Checkpoint 1 = 09:30
Checkpoint 5 = 13:30
Checkpoint 9 = 15:00

Competitors must have departed from these Checkpoints by the cut-off time. These cut-off times are based on approximately an overall 13-hour completion time for the entire route.

Cut-offs are designed to give people best chance to enjoy as much of the course as possible, whilst stopping people from entering the highest/most dangerous/most exposed ground if they will not be able to complete the course before the Course Closure Time.

Experienced but slower competitors are very welcome at the race but please note that the cut-offs will be strictly enforced. Any runner, at any point on the course, will be retired from the race, if they have no chance of finishing before the Course Closure Time, at 20:30. 

Course Closure Time: 20:30
Competitors can only competitively complete the course if they finish within the course opening times; finishing after 20:30 will result in competitors being timed out and therefore no medal or competitive result time will be issued.

GPS Course Data

This route is only roughly drawn to show the route! Competitors must follow the race signs on race day and NOT rely on their GPS for the route. The organisers retain the right to alter the race route at any time.

You can download the 2023 GPX file.

Checkpoints
The will be 13 marshalled checkpoints along the route. The two low-level ones are checkpoints 1 and 9. Food and water will be provided to the competitors at Checkpoint 9 ONLY. At all other checkpoints there will be no food or water available, but emergency aid from the event team will be possible. Due to the remote nature of the course competitors will need to carry safety equipment, food and fluids as the checkpoints will be far apart. 

Family, friends and members of the public are welcome at the Loch Achtriochian checkpoint (9) and hot drinks / cold drinks, food etc will be available for competitors.

The race route traverses high and remote mountainous terrain. Once committed to many sections of the race route it is impossible to retreat. Any competitor retiring from the race is likely to face a long walk back into the valley. Competitors should expect long sections of the route to have no marshals and where they will only find signs marking the route.

Detailed Route Description
With a route that dances along the jagged and lofty mountainous horizons above Scotland’s most famous Glen and Pass, and with airy ridges to negotiate, there is no doubt that this race has a licence to thrill. Glen Coe has long held travellers in awe. It is described and known by the characteristic shapes of each individual mountain along its length, and by the essential and ancient passage of the roads below. The mountains dominate and tower over anyone that stands below them, or who passes along the present A82 road, necks craning to see the tops.

This skyrunning race is based at the village of Kinlochleven nestled at the head of Loch Leven (alt 0m… sea level), and incorporates the West Highland Way Long Distance Route as a conduit to and from the foot of these dramatic mountains.

The classic triangle of Stob Dearg (Buachaille Etive Mor) is a sentinel to the eastern entrance to the Glen, and the awesome sight that greets the runners as they crest the pass West Highland Way pass from Kinlochleven. The West Highland Way will take you to the settlement of Altnafeadh (alt 290m – Checkpoint 1), our divergence from The West Highland Way and onto the steepening open hillside. Summiting Stob Dearg (alt 1022 – Checkpoint 2) by the exposed Grade III scramble (a 'Moderate' graded rock climb) of Curved Ridge. At the summit, a vast view eastwards to Rannoch Moor is presented. The route then heads south-west along the multiple summits of the Buachaille Etive Mor massif before dropping rapidly into Lairig Gartain (Pass alt 370m - Checkpoint 4), crossing the River Coupall and immediately ascending the smaller Buachaille massif to the col.

Now passing through increasingly remote territory, it is time to descend to Lairig Eilde (Pass alt 490m – Checkpoint 5), and immediately then ascend onto the shoulder of Stob Coire Sgreamhach, before summiting at 1072m (Checkpoint 6). We are now on the highest and most complex terrain of the whole route, and soon reach the summit of Bidean nam Bian (alt 1150 – Checkpoint 8). A dog-leg to Stob Coire nan Lochan (alt 1115m - Checkpoint 7) will enable competitors to experience another stunning mountain spur into Glen Coe – it’s a stunning environment here. Returning to the summit of Bidean then enables descent using regular paths to the A82 road at 90m – the lowest point of the route in Glencoe.

Checkpoint 9 is where the path meets the A82 and there is a cut-off of 1500 at this location. Above us now, remains a stiff ascent to the famous Aonach Eagach ridge, an arête with occasional Grade II scrambling, and for us it extends west to east from Sgorr nam Fionnadh (alt 967m – Checkpoint 10), over Meall Dearg (alt 953m) to Am Bodach (alt 943m – Checkpoint 11). That is 3km of intricate ridge traversing, with distant views over the coastline and hundreds of mountains including Ben Nevis. The ridge continues over smaller summits and flowing ridges until descending a shoulder to the West Highland Way (Checkpoint 13). The superlatives don’t cease here though. Cresting the path brings us to a renewed view north towards the Mamores. The West Highland Way outward route is then reversed to return to Kinlochleven and the Finish.