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The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean


Postby jwramsay » Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:28 pm

Route description: Stob Ban (Mamores) and Mullach nan Coirean

Munros included on this walk: Mullach nan Coirean, Stob Bàn (Mamores)

Date walked: 23/09/2012

Time taken: 8.5 hours

Distance: 1135 km

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Sunday 23rd September 2012 was forecast to be a great day weather wise, so I hatched a plan with Peter for an early start to tackle these two mamores.

I picked Peter up in Glasgow at 7:30am, stopping briefly on the traverse of Glencoe to shoot Buachaille Etive Mor and the Aonach Eagach Ridge.

Buachaille Etive Mor:
Image

Aonach Eagach Ridge:
Image

We arrived at the car park at Polldubh down the Glen Nevis Road at 10am. The parking is free for 1 hour and £3 for all day. Now, I didn't know this and only had £2 in coins, so drove over the bridge and parked beside the lower falls for nothing. Felt bad about this as the paths at the end through the fallen forest are a work of art and deserve to be paid for.

We crossed the river and instead of following the river path, started heading up the obvious and non-boggy path towards the beallach. It traverses some deciduous woodlands and you always have the river below you and to your right, until you reach the upper stage almost at the beallach whence there is an obvious crossing of the river. There is a lot of water available from the the streams coming down from the devils ridge, so fill up here as it'll be your last on the walk!

The views over to your right of the cliffs of Stob Ban, who looks really pointy from here are amazing!

The pointed Stob Ban becomes visible:
Image

The cliffs are imposing:
Image

"Astounding" would sum this view up well:
Image

A look back to the coire at the start of the Devil's Ridge:
Image

My walking companion - Peter913:
Image

A look back at the Devil's Ridge:
Image

The Ben and Sgurr a Mhaim (end of Devils Ridge/Ring Of Steall):
Image

This walk has the most amazing moment when you turn the corner near the top and you are faced with the plateau where the 2nd munro Mullach Nan Coirean (917m) sits, and you are seven more amazed to turn round and see the summit cairn of Stob Ban (999m) just a matter of 20 odd feet away! The opposite of a false summit!

View down to Mullach Nan Coirean:
Image

The views from this summit are superb - to the north we have Ben Nevis flanked by Carn Mor Dearg and adjoined by the famous arete. To the rear are the Aonachs of Mor and Beag. 4 mountains of over 4000 feet.

Ben Nevis with CMD Arete:
Image

Not to be outdone, to the east we have the Ring of Steall with the eastern mamores behind. South we have the Aonach Eagach ridge with Bidean Nam Bian sitting behind, the Ballachulish horsehoe and then Loch Linnhe sparkling in the autumnal sun. Stunning!

Loch Linnhe:
Image

Stoney descent off Stob Ban and friendly wave from walker we met at summit:
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A look back at the summit of Stob Ban - not so pointy after all:
Image

We then start heading down the stoney path to the grassly plateau which changes to a narrow ridge. The scenery is very Cairngorms like at this point. There is a bypass path to the shielded left side of the ridge which we used. Then it is a very broad plateau with a gentle rise to the very large cairn of Mullach nan Coirean. The Ben looks very different from here but you can see the path all the way from Glen Nevis past the half way Lochan and onto the zig zags and the summit.

A look east to the fellow 8 mamores:
Image

The path follows the shoulder to the north and drops down until it reaches a high deer fence whence you turn left and follow the deer fence all the way to the stile that you'll see. It is quite steep but not overly so. Nearer the bottom it becomes a quagmire and you will get wet feet! Cross over the syle and follow the path through the pine forest and then through the fellen forest which is very distinctive - made from stones with bumber bars made using the smaller logs! Eventually this reaches a wide track so turn right. This soon forks and you follow left down through some really tall pines, veering into the woods at the hairpin bend - a very well defined path along the stream soon rejoins this track again and then you have a gate to go through and then you are back on the Glen Nevis road just at a wee white house.

Not far to walk along this road until you are either back at the carpark of cross the river to the free parking beside the lower falls at Polldubh.

8.5 hours not bad considering the time that Peter and I devote on the hillds to getting our photos and video.

This has given me a great insight into the Ring of Steall which I've still to do.

The views from up here are outstanding, breathtaking infact. I really enjoyed this walk with the exception of the boggy bit just before the style. This could be my favourite walk yet.

HD Video of the Walk:
http://youtu.be/u496f5k3l80?hd=1
Last edited by jwramsay on Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby LeithySuburbs » Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:15 pm

Wow :o . Feel like I was just there :D . Loved it :clap: .
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby monty » Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:20 pm

I feel I have said this before but Awesome pictures JW :lol:
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby PeteR » Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:23 pm

Superb photos :D A favourite route of mine, which you have captured perfectly :D
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby Fudgie » Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:57 pm

Excellent pictures as ever JW and another walk report on these two which has me itching to get up there :D

Also, unless Peter has a twin or a doppelganger, I used to work with him many moons ago so it's good to see the big man out on the hills :thumbup:
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby Peter913 » Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:02 pm

Nice shots there Jim was a cracking day out to spend september weekend Sunday

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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby 147cjl » Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:06 pm

great pictures, amazing how insignificant Carn Mor Dearg looks against the bulk of Nevis
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby Graeme D » Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:17 pm

Excellent work! :clap: As fine a series of pics from these two classic mountains as I've yet clapped eyes on. Stob Ban is surprisingly rounded and "normal" looking from the descent towards MnC. From the other side, it's one of the most stunning mountains in the land IMHO! 8)
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby march_or_die » Wed Sep 26, 2012 1:54 pm

Nice photos guys.... I was the wee red dot waving with Ben Nevis behind....

Trying to upload a couple of photos of you folks back down the ridge with a lovely back drop... struggling with the technology at the mo..... it may work.

Broadside Sunrise 001.jpg
Mamores 1



Broadside Sunrise 002.jpg
Mamores 2





It may not...... :wink:
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby jwramsay » Wed Sep 26, 2012 2:34 pm

march_or_die wrote:Nice photos guys.... I was the wee red dot waving with Ben Nevis behind....

Trying to upload a couple of photos of you folks back down the ridge with a lovely back drop... struggling with the technology at the mo..... it may work.

Broadside Sunrise 001.jpg



Broadside Sunrise 002.jpg





It may not...... :wink:



It worked!! Well done.
Didn't take you long to get your PC back working then. Great meeting you, will bump into you again no doubt "march_or_die".
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby Stuart Angus » Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:41 pm

This is brilliant. I use your walk reports a lot because they're so good.........I'll be using this one too :D Kinda feel as if I know you and Peter now.........hopefully one day Ill bump into you when we're oot and aboot :thumbup:
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby thomasp67 » Fri Sep 28, 2012 6:55 am

Love the colours in those pictures, it's amazing how a place can look different each time you see it.
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Re: The Mamores - Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

Postby jwramsay » Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:11 pm

Stuart Angus wrote:This is brilliant. I use your walk reports a lot because they're so good.........I'll be using this one too :D Kinda feel as if I know you and Peter now.........hopefully one day Ill bump into you when we're oot and aboot :thumbup:


Why thanks, and remember to say hi to us everyone! Peter never has that blue jacket off!! LOL
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