Scotland
Aonach Eagach East Peak
906M
2973FT
About Aonach Eagach East Peak
Marking the eastern gateway to the legendary Glen Coe ridge, this rocky top provides a dramatic entry point to the high ground. It offers a commanding perspective over the Devil’s Staircase zig-zags and across the glen to the sprawling Three Sisters and the massive, craggy summit of Bidean nam Bian.
Key Statistics
Rank
57th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Grampians
Prominence
?
33m
Nearest Town
Highland
Geology
You are walking on a foundation of ancient volcanic lava and tough, crystalline sandstone that forms this dramatic ridge.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NN155582
Latitude
56.6798°N
Longitude
5.0129°W
Did You Know?
- •Aonach Eagach translates from Scottish Gaelic as the 'notched ridge', a description that becomes viscerally apparent as you look west toward the jagged silhouettes of the Am Bodach and the Chancellor pinnacles.
- •This peak serves as the physical transition between the broad, accessible slopes above Altnafeadh and the exposed, technical scrambling that defines the traverse toward Meall Dearg.
- •From this vantage point, you gain one of the most distinctive views of Buachaille Etive Mòr, looking directly at its iconic pyramid profile from an elevated northern perspective.
- •The slopes directly below were part of the 18th-century military road system engineered by Major William Caulfeild; the 'Devil's Staircase' section was so named by the soldiers who found the steep haul particularly punishing.
- •It is perhaps the best place in the Highlands to sit with a flask and feel quietly superior while watching West Highland Way walkers crawl up the zig-zags below like a line of determined, colourful ants.