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The pinnacles of the Aonach Eagach rising out of cloud.
Glen Coe and Glen Etive

Aonach Eagach - Meall Dearg

A Munro of 952 metres, number 213 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Meall Dearg is the lower of the two Munros on the Aonach Eagach, the ridge along the north side of Glen Coe.

The other, Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, stands about two kilometres to the west, and across the glen to the south rises Bidean nam Bian.

Mountaineering Scotland counts the ridge, with the Black Cuillin of Skye, among the best known scrambling classics, and Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team notes that it stays above Munro height, 3,000 feet, for its whole length.

Mountaineering Scotland lists it among the long ridges that call for scrambling and abseiling techniques.

If you need help
Dial 999 or 112, ask for the police, then for mountain rescue. Even once a rescue team has been alerted, help might not arrive for several hours.
What it is
Mountaineering Scotland lists the Aonach Eagach among the long ridges that require scrambling and abseiling techniques.
The ridge
Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team calls it "the longest narrow serrated ridge on the mainland".
Scrambling
Mountaineering Scotland counts scrambling as potentially the most dangerous of all mountaineering activities. Its grades are set for dry summer conditions, and in anything less the same ground is likely to become much more difficult and dangerous.
With a professional
One option, Mountaineering Scotland suggests, is to climb with a professional mountaineer, who will guide and safeguard you through more serious ascents than you would tackle yourself.
11 August 2023
Three people were tragically lost on the Aonach Eagach that day, as the Association of Mountaineering Instructors, Mountain Training, Mountaineering Scotland and the British Mountaineering Council said in a joint statement.
Summit
Grid reference NN 161 583
Deer stalking
Mountaineering Scotland says the first three weeks of October are the busiest of the stag stalking season. Pay close attention to signs and follow reasonable advice from land managers.
On the hill today

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: West Highlands forecast, Meall Dearg, Glencoe avalanche forecast.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

It requires both technical skill and confidence to tackle steep or exposed terrain safely and efficiently, and basic skills with ropework and arranging safe belays should also be acquired.Mountaineering Scotland, writing of scrambling in general, on the page where it names the Aonach Eagach
Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 161 583
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Aonach Eagach - Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, Bidean nam Bian, Buachaille Etive Beag - Stob Coire Raineach, Stob Coire Sgreamhach. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Mountaineering Scotland's, Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team's and the joint statement's of 11 August 2023; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.