Ben Nevis via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arete

In this video my brother Martyn and I return to the West Highlands of Scotland to tackle Ben Nevis via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arete. It's a route i'd been wanting to do for such a long time and we got perfect conditions on the day.
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[@WalksWithOlly]

Good to see the route from your perspective, Dean and also to have the older footage spliced in. Works really well. Thanks for sharing!

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Olly, I have lots of old footage so will start adding bits here and there in the future

[@flatbrokefrank6482]

Amazing photography Dean, its good to spend time with family - stay safe

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Frank, was great to spend some time with my brother. Over the last decade we've been like ships that pass in the night and only really seeing each other at family events.

[@4seasonbackpacking]

Dean that's Incredible landscape there. Looks very cold. Nice route to the top. All best Richard

[@DeanRead]

It was a stunning day, so glad I got chance to tackle that route in good conditions

[@drnick1972]

Good film Dean 👍🏻

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Nick

[@thenovicehiker74]

I did this route on Saturday, amazing 11 hour hike 😍😂🏔 tested my fear of heights for sure!

[@DeanRead]

There isn't much room for error in places along the ridge, you certainly feel the exposure. I can imagine it's horrific in bad weather 😁

[@peterh8970]

Amazing views and landscape, thanks.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Peter

[@jonm4989]

Terrific vlog Dean, really enjoyed it.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Jon

[@grahamsherry4788]

Well done lads, 👏. Cracking video 👍... I'm wanting to do this route in October (21) and I have to admit I'm apprehensive about it. But you seemed to have been steady and careful enough to persuade me it's doable 🤔... I guess I'll have to make that decision on the morning of climb,... weather will be key. But bravo,... good to see to brothers out and having fun. What time did you get back to the car?... and what shoes 👞 did you say you wore?.. they look cool, funky and hopefully ha,.. waterproof?! 🤣.. I've looked at that short cut on maps and i aim to cut that back path myself. Off-piste so to say, past tarn and straight line over river to upwards path. Anyway well done,.. 👌

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Graham, it was a fantastic route. I'd been wanting to do that route for such a long time and I'm so glad we did. It's not as scary as I'd heard it might be but we were lucky with the weather. We did Crib Goch in Snowdonia a week or so later and that is on another level 😁 Hope you have a great time when you head to give this a go. All the best, Dean

[@hedleythorne]

Enjoyed that

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching

[@jamesdouglas8126]

Fantastic Dean & Martyn 5*****

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching James

[@stephenhill1454]

Some good times on the Ben, some cold times too!🥶

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Stephen

[@christinebella5706]

Look like you had a cracking day for it 🌞

[@DeanRead]

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

[@TheLmfaodyl]

You could've avoided a couple dislikes if you said 3:47 at the beginning of the video haha! Fantastic video pal! Enjoyed watching (-:

[@DeanRead]

Haha 🤣 I'm not worried about dislikes, you can't please everyone. I don't want to offend anyone with incorrect pronunciation however 👍 Thanks for watching Dylan

[@treklinda1309]

Winter fun in summer :) Great vid!

[@DeanRead]

Can't beat it, all the fun and none of the cold 🤣

[@eilrahcrn]

Awesome video mate👌 Thanks for sharing💚 What month did you do it mate if you don't mind?

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching, I think it was May that we did this

[@pauljohnson9347]

Nice one, what a vista Love it. 👍 ❤️

[@alexandercarder2281]

Haha 😂 I celebrated with an Irn-bru when I passed my driving test (4th time lucky) at Dumbarton and then tossed me bottle into the Clyde. Somehow i felt compelled to do that. I was 21 😊

[@DeanRead]

Haha 🤣 it's the only way to celebrate, although I recycled my bottle 😁

[@VanSolo-uk]

Nice one fellas, great day for it :)

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching

[@davidh2414]

Wow what Views looked fun but a cold bum coming down

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching David, it was a really fun day. Especially the sledging 🤣

[@bilaltahir9978]

Have you done Aonach Eagach?

[@DeanRead]

I haven’t yet

[@Clyde__Frog]

Need to get back to Scotland, my spirit needs cleansing

[@DeanRead]

It's certainly an ideal place to go and do that. Hope you have a great time and thanks for watching

[@ProfPete]

well done! an ice axe is probably a good idea if you do it again, even at this time of year. Also I believe the pronunciation is more like "Carn More Jerag". check out Murray/Scotlands Mountains for a proper Scottish pronunciation and great video of this and other routes

[@DeanRead]

Ice Axes we taken on previous trips but spoke to people the day before regarding the ground conditions so figured we could stick to the rocky section. I didn't want to butcher the pronunciation so stuck to 'De Arg' 😁

[@alexandercarder2281]

That’s me subbed. Let me know if your up in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 again and if you fancy doing a climb with me.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching and subscribing Alexander 👍

[@ula17404]

Why is this path so poorly marked? I done it last month in really bad conditions with no visibility and it was so difficult to find where u going. Even where paths cross there is no information whatsoever. Path itseld was useless to me because most of my path I spent 5 meters west from the path itself. Going there for the first time makes u really doubt if those paths are maintained and even followable. Makes me wanna go back and mark it myself. Great video tho.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Andy. That path is like most others I've experienced in that area. It doesn't get the same amount of traffic that Ben Nevis does so the national park probably couldn't justify the expense.

[@ula17404]

@@DeanRead honestly it's a joke. I've climbed mountains in Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and all these countries had every single route marked and visibly shown in much higher and remote areas than Ben Nevis. Week after my climb some girl died doing the same route as me. Who knows maybe markings would help her stay on track and not fall.

[@DeanRead]

I think I prefer it a little more wild and having to navigate without signs while using a map. I enjoy tramping through bogs and crossing pathless areas... Adds to the fun and feeling of remoteness 😁👍

[@ula17404]

@@DeanRead it's not really remote if u can see a highway most of the climb xd

[@DeanRead]

@@ula17404 I was just thinking in general and in that hill range where you can feel like you are miles from civilisation 😁👍

[@OutandaboutwithSpencer]

Great vid and your enthusiasm was great to watch. Subbed you. 👍

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching and for your kind words 👍

[@maurice5992]

Thanks Dean, took me back many years to when my brother and I climbed Ben Nevis via the tourist route, July 1988, spent most of the walk in cloud with no view from the top, so glad you made this film to show me what I missed all those years ago. Not sure I'd have the bottle to walk across the arete, no head for heights. Looked a long way down, gave me flash backs to the scary bits from 'Where eagles dare'.......

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Maurice. The Arete was a really great experience, I've seen footage of it in bad weather and I wouldn't fancy being up there either myself 😁

[@HikingJimmy]

shows how much snow, i had to climb up to the trig

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching. It always amazes me when visiting in winter and then summer and you realise how much snow is there some years

[@MAndrs-d5e]

Great footage! You got a cracking day for it.

[@DeanRead]

We certainly did, it was a cracking day out. Thanks for watching

[@pauldavidmurray6531]

Lovely video thank you 🙏 I’m spending a month in August and 1st week of September working in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and hoping to bag over 10, maybe upto 16 Munro’s best Wishes

[@DeanRead]

Excellent Paul, hope you have a great time. Thanks for watching 👍

[@scoundrel1975]

Awesome video guys I climbed this exact route in August just gone it is by far my favourite mountain climb, unfortunately no snow ride on the way down for me being mid August 😂

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching, it’s a superb route isn’t it.

[@alanrobinson2229]

I just got back into hiking/walking(@59 yr) Lake District and Peak District. Slowly building up stamina,need to tackle Scotland. What was the footwear you had on. I got a pair of Altra shoes,havnt tried them yet,too wet.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Alan. My trail shoes were Inov8 Terra Ultras, I use them for running off-road and walking. Hope you enjoy Scotland when you head there 👍

[@jimmysgameclips]

These videos are really helpful, I bet they're great for anyone with a little anxiety about the unknown wanting to do these hikes

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching, really happy if the videos help people decided if the route is for them or not. It's a tough route and not really for those that are afraid of heights

[@no_soy_rubio]

Awesome video, I did the tourist route up Ben yesterday, will definitely be back for this one 👍

[@mboutdoors_uk]

That was hell of a day to be out, stunning! Unfortunately I wasn't quite so lucky when I did the CMD, but I'll be back for another go for sure. Great vid mate, keep up the good work 👌

[@DeanRead]

We were really lucky with the weather that day.. thanks for watching 👍

[@mboutdoors_uk]

@@DeanRead I actually managed to get up last week! The weather was absolutely unbelievable. Video will be up soon on my channel, if you’d like a look. Shot some great drone footage 👌🏼

[@phil.clarke]

Good video Dean - and brings back some memories - checking my log book this was the last route I did to summit Ben Nevis back in 2005 on a glorious day in June.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Phil

[@terrydelahunt842]

Great video 👍 How narrow is the arete? Didnt look overly narrow but videos never do these things justice. How long is the arete in terms of distance? Thanks.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching. The Arete is about 600m or so in length, I can't remember exactly I'm afraid. It's a great route

[@terrydelahunt842]

@@DeanRead thanks for the reply. Been to the top of cmd before on my own but weather was awful so I turned back.

[@gregcoleman7328]

Wow, that’s a fantastic ascent route. Stunning weather and views, which deserved the superlatives 😆 Nice to have some fun in the snow too. I really must make the time to get up there next year. Thank you for posting 👍

[@DeanRead]

It's an amazing route, really enjoyed it

[@thomasanderson6558]

This was a special video ive never seen one like it those views that feeling and your brother seems really cool im close with my brother we walk the hills every couple of week or so and my grandad was from Scotland so any chance to see my ancestors homeland im in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@Cloudwalker136]

Great vid. I'm off in April on same route..lots of good info...cheers m8

[@LundysWildcampBushcraft]

How youg did yous look on that last bit you should upload the old video bet that brought back some great memories That was a great video Dean what a stunning place pity about the mess in the hut bet that stream was freezing but refreshing atvb Jimmy 😎😎👍👍

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Jimmy. Many years have passed since that old footage was recorded, it feels like a lifetime ago 😁 ATB mate 👍

[@davidcalder8210]

Awesome route on my list soon ⛰ you showed it very well really enjoyed that thanks 🙏

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching David, hope you have a great time when you go and do it 👍

[@davidcalder8210]

@@DeanRead thanks done Big Ben there at the weekend up the pony track a long slog soaked coldest place iv ever been to up there 🥶😂😂😂

[@DeanRead]

Yeah it can be pretty wild up there. We camped at the top in winter once and it was -16'C 🤣

[@briangilbert6241]

I did walk the Ben Nevis from the glen Nevis campsite around 43 years ago. A fabulous place there was no snow when we did this from memory I think it was mid summer. I was younger then now no hope of doing it again. Great video.

[@leehavison5618]

I didn't think Ben Nevis had been built back then

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Brian

[@briangilbert6241]

@@DeanRead The path was narrow and all gravel to the rocky bit at the top, with what i can remember.

[@chrisbentleywalkingandrambling]

I've been absorbed with watching PCT, AT, CDT, and believe it or not, never really looked at the UK. You have shown me such beauty in these mountains in our homeland. I really love the interleaved previous hikes. It's simply amazing. Thank you for sharing. I apologise in advance. I'm binge watching; you will probably be inundated with comments, but you have such a way of describing the beauty. Thank you again for uploading.

[@DeanRead]

I've often daydreamed about walking the AT or PCT, think it would have to be PCT for me as it seems more varied. There is so much to discover in our beautiful homeland that I regularly have my mind blown by its splendor. Just had it blown by a weekend in a quiet corner of Western Snowdonia, a valley I hadn't visited before. Thanks for watching the videos Chris

[@glennswalks7693]

Hi Dean I enjoyed your Vlog I think that would be very tough for me at my age thanks for taking us with you atb mate cheers Glenn it’s a 👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️ from me

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Glenn

[@shahis786]

Brilliant We did a crazy and stupid climb along with the waterfall from the small bridge from the car park. It was very very dangerous. The climb up was ok but the walk down we couldn’t find a way back down. It was very silly of us to follow the waterfall

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching. The route can be very tricky to follow without a map especially if the weather is bad. Hope you have more luck next time you do it 👍

[@thomasanderson6558]

I share your videos too dean people should see these places and you present them really well 🐇

[@Sammonkeyfist]

Great video Dean, hope you had a Haggis supper in Fort William when you got back as well as a couple of McEwans export.

[@DeanRead]

Fort William was a ghost town sadly, it's a real shame as we've had some great nights there

[@royv1054]

Great video Dean. Must check when I climbed it now. Think it was 2008/9 , up and down the mule track in June, still some snow in parts and pouring with rain at top, no visibility, went in rescue hut for my sandwich break.

[@DeanRead]

That summit shelter has been a welcome relief a few times for my friends and I. Thanks for watching Roy

[@elzorrorojo4829]

Great video Dean, brings back very fond memories from when I done this some 30+ yrs ago Much better than the tourist (!!!!) path Great that you had clear weather which makes that walk all the more spectacular If you want a walk in the area that is equally breathtaking (bit of a challenge though) Then take the train to corrour then walk the grey corries & aonach beag then carn mor dearg and then the ben Probably need a good long summer day or bivi out on a decent shelter

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching, it had been on my list of walks for a long while so was really great to finally do it. My friends and I have got the train to Corrour and walked back to Fort William a few times. That was one of our first Scottish adventures when we got into hiking in our early 20s. We stayed at Meanach Bothy and often repeat the route as a reunion event.

[@jameslawton4534]

Glad you got a nice view. Spent 8 hours in cloud when I did this route! Also wish I had watched this video before I did it as Walked the tourist route to the tarn, then to the hut and directly up east! Didn’t know that path you took existed.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching James, It's an amazing route. We were so lucky with the weather. The path we took was a very vague at times but became more defined the further up we climbed.

[@pauljones5066]

Nice of you to include dogs and cats in your address. Great video thanks. I must do CMD route myself.

[@DeanRead]

My channel is very inclusive, all sentient beings are welcome here 👍 Thanks for watching Paul

[@Adam_Outdoors]

Thanks Dean, added to my watch list for tonight. Just curious, Will you be doing the WHW trail again? I see you have done one a decade ago. Will you be re-visiting doing a new vid? :)

[@DeanRead]

I'd love to do the WHW again some day, if I do I'll definitely be taking the camera with me 👍😎

[@rlrphotography-uk]

Brilliant Dean .Thanks for sharing . dosnt realy need any more words just Stunning ,stay safe ,

[@DeanRead]

It really was a stunning day, thanks for watching

[@jamiesouth8940]

Great video. The trig point was almost buried under snow. Incredible

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Jamie

[@Ozzyt94]

Nice to see some videos from yourself dean. Keep them coming fella.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Tom 👍

[@dominicboyd3090]

proper jealous. looks, as always, beautiful

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Dominic

[@fman02]

Magnificent. Martin is a talkative bugger too 😝

[@DeanRead]

He's a man of few words 🤣

[@wrens5825]

Another great video - we really enjoyed it thank you Dean

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching, this was an amazing day out 👍

[@bilbobaggins7340]

thanks for the video mate- still stuck here in vietnam - gives me a glimpse of home !

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Bilbo

[@DavidRaynham85]

Awesome boys. The old footage was brill 👌🏻

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching David, I've got lots of great old footage

[@macfloof8679]

Great video and amazing scenery

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Mikaela, it's a beautiful part of the world

[@pixelfascination]

Whoa! That's a stunning route and views. I'd say I'm not jealous but I'd be lying.

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching 🤣

[@pixelfascination]

@@DeanRead Well it was uploaded at 5am and I was short of other options. :D

[@SafaryPakistan]

Good

[@jamiestables4283]

Great video again Dean!

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Jamie

[@philjones3335]

That is by far the best route up Ben Nevis, one I must say, has eluded me for so many years. Always wanted to do it with my Dad but alas never did. Next spring though I plan to do it with my border collie at my side and cannot wait. Your video is stupendous, you actually make the climb look relatively straightforward which I know it's not. Hope I get the weather you did, great,great video and thanks for sharing it with us

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Phil, it’s an awesome route and i hope you have a great time when you go and do it 👍

[@andrewrobertson6827]

Did you manage to get there, Phil?

[@philjones3335]

@@andrewrobertson6827 unfortunately not, well not yet anyway. This year hasn’t panned out how i wanted, i got diagnosed with bladder cancer and had to start treatment. It seems to be successful but still waiting for a biopsy. Anyway, i’m now planning next spring. I will get there thats for sure 👍

[@dougiekinnear]

Great video mate, hoping to do this route next year May/June. Thanks for taking the time to share your walk. Have a listen to the name pronunciations on Walk Highlands as well :-)

[@archerdeath]

Did the exact route June 2019 and absolutely loved it, amazing route, Snow next to the Trig Point you was on is 2m deep by looks of it on you video so plenty up there

[@DeanRead]

I've been when the snow is covering the trig and when there is no snow at all, it's amazing how deep it can be

[@TheAnticarnist]

Yes, I was amazed by how high the snow looks next to the trig point in this video. I went a month after this and there was no snow and about 200 people with a 45 minute wait for photos at the trig point.

[@DeanRead]

45 minute wait for pictures.... Phew, that does not sound like fun 😁

[@sarahlister1626]

Awesome video! Really enjoyed the older footage too. We gotta get ourselves to bonny Scotland! ☺

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Sarah, I've got loads of older footage so I'm going to start weaving it in to the videos more 😁

[@sarahlister1626]

@@DeanRead it's a great idea! You've had some adventures eh!

[@DeanRead]

@@sarahlister1626 have some great memories from times spent with family and friends. Worth 1,000 times more to me than any amount of material possessions.

[@AMostlyFunctionalJess]

Stunning adventure! The landscape of Scotland is utterly breath-taking

[@DeanRead]

Scotland never fails to impress me. Watched your video of the Rivelin Valley plunge pool a little while ago, really enjoyed it 👍

[@AMostlyFunctionalJess]

Oh Awesome! That video does just seem to continue to steadily gain views! I should probably do a revisit now that I've had more practice video editing haha.

[@DeanRead]

Wild swimming really seems to have taken off, would definitely be great to see a revisit

[@AMostlyFunctionalJess]

It's definitely gained incredible popularity through lockdown, to the extent that hopefully there's enough drive for proper education around it rather than councils and water companies constantly using the 'cold water kills' line and trying to avoid having to enter into a full discussion.

[@DeanRead]

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess very true, I'm on the Sheffield outdoor swimmers group on Facebook and it sounds like there are security guards at the reservoirs now. I'm yet to visit the Stanage Pond, your video on that was great too. We're off for a run on the Pennine Way today so it'll be like wild swimming looking at the weather forecast 🤣

[@lucybailey6802]

An excellent video Dean and an excellent climb. I truly cannot wait to do this myself, it’s been on the cards ever since my climb last year. You were lucky to get such a clear day! 🙂 Such beautiful views to be had on the rare occasions that it’s possible. You captured this route perfectly. Thankyou. 👍🏻

[@DeanRead]

Thanks for watching Lucy, it's an amazing walk and we were so lucky with the weather