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Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)


Postby canisp » Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:18 am

Munros included on this walk: Stob Binnein

Date walked: 05/12/2008

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Stob Coire an Lochain 1068 metres (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)
OS Map 51, Grid Ref 438221
Start Grid Ref 445185
Distance walked 8 km’s
Height Gain 950 metres
Date of walk 3 December 2008

Apologies in advance for my shadow in some of the photo’s.

I left the car at 7:45am on a cold, clear winter’s morning :D my intention to hike up Stob Binnein. There was no chance of warming up the leg muscles today, it was straight out of the car park, over a stile and then up and up and up.

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A cold, crisp and clear winter’s morning

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Looking to the Corbett Stob a’Choin

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Early morning sun on Beinn Tulaichean

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Looking south to the Graham Stob Breac

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Sun on the east side of Stob a’Choin

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Sunlit Beinn Tulaichean

In a few minutes i reached the snowline which made scrambling up the steep slopes very hard work :( . Once through the crags the angle eased and i‘d hoped the going would get easier, but the snow got deeper the going got harder and progress was painfully slow :( :( .

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Looking east to Ben Vorlich

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Snow and blue skies

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Beinn Tulaichean

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Looking east to Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin

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Stob a’Choin

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Icicles with Stob a’Choin in the background

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Icicles with Stob a’Choin in the background

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Looking across Loch Voil to Ben Vorlich, Stuc a’Chroin

Before setting out i’d decided my turnaround time was to be no later than 2:00pm, and in the morning as i struggled up the steep slopes my hopes of getting to Stob Binnein were rapidly diminishing :( , in fact on the struggle up to the minor top at 444206 i was beginning to think i wouldn’t even make Stob Coire an Lochain :( .

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Nearing a minor top at 444206, and a first view of Stob Coire an Lochain

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From 444206 looking to Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin

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Cruach Ardrain and Stob Garbh

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Looking along Na Staidhrichean to Stob Coire an Lochain

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Crags on the ridge

After a short rest on this top i carried on, the path clear of snow at times helped a little, but all to soon i was back in soft knee deep snow. Around 12:30pm after what seemed an eternity and with aching legs i reached the top of Stob Coire an Lochain :D .

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Looking up to Stob Coire an Lochain

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Knee deep snow making for very hard going :(

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Snow and blue skies

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First view of Stob Binnein

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Stob Binnein with Stob Coire an Lochain on the right

Seeing conditions were superb :D pin sharp to the horizon in most directions except in the west where cloud was moving in. Earlier because of the snow conditions underfoot i’d revised my turnaround time to 1:00pm, now after food, drink, a rest, and taking photo’s it was nearly 1:00pm.

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Stob Binnein

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Stob Binnein with Ben More behind

Stob Binnein was just less than 1km away and with 120 metres of height to gain would normally take me about 20 to 25 minutes, but if there was more snow to battle through it could take me an hour or more, and if i reached the summit i’d have to leave almost immediately and so decided against it, besides i was quite happy where i was.

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Stob Binnein with Ben More behind

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Stob Binnein with Ben More behind

The views from Stob Coire an Lochain were superb and i felt no disappointment at not going for Stob Binnein. About 1:00pm i started back and following my own footprints most of the way i reached the car about 3:30pm.

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Patterns in the snow

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Tracks in the snow

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Ben Lomond in the distance and cloud moving in

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Looking to the minor top at 444206

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Loch Doine and Loch Voil

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Looking south to the Graham Stob Breac

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Loch Doine and Loch Voil

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Stob Breac looking bleak

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Stob Breac and nearly down

In conclusion, a much harder day than i’d expected but a very enjoyable one. :D :D
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby GarryH » Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:57 am

Thanks for sharing that with us canisp,excellent photo`s any idea what made the tracks?
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby Paul Webster » Fri Dec 05, 2008 3:36 pm

Apologies in advance for my shadow in some of the photo’s


We'll never forgive you :lol:

We were lucky enough to be out that same day - some of the clearest conditions I can remember, though the powder snow made going hard as you say. From little Beinn Dubh near Loch Lomond I took this picture looking towards Stob Binnein - which looks very pointy and elegant. I should have given you a wave.

binnein.JPG
Ben More and Stob Binnein from Beinn Dubh


Looking in that direction none of the glens could be seen, and with the snow cover it felt like looking towards the Patagonian Icecap. Without any prior knowledge it would have been hard to beleive that anyone could possibly live in that direction - let along that there are roads, villages and towns... A day to remember.

Hope you don't mind - I linked your post to Stob Binnein as I think your trip report is relevant to it even though you didn't go to it. That way people looking for reports for Stob Binnein from the Munro page will find it.

And now I'm stuck in the plains of Albion (with apologies to the Angry Corrie)
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby canisp » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:57 pm

sugary wrote:any idea what made the tracks?

I’m afraid not, my knowledge of wildlife tracks is poor. I was intrigued by the tracks as i estimated they were 3 inches long, and they followed the ridge up intermittently for a few hundred metres. The tracks can also be seen on the photo entitled “Looking up to Stob Coire an Lochain”

Image

Paul Webster wrote:I took this picture looking towards Stob Binnein - which looks very pointy and elegant

Great photo, and strange to think i may on it.

Paul Webster wrote:Hope you don't mind - I linked your post to Stob Binnein

Not at all, i was in two minds, i did think of calling the report “Stob Binnein (a mountain too far)” then linking it.
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby wandererjon » Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:04 pm

Great photos, Canisp. Love the colours of the snow in the sunlight, it must have been a really fantastic day!!! :)
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby Doug Tulloch » Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:11 pm

sugary wrote:Thanks for sharing that with us canisp,excellent photo`s any idea what made the tracks?

Almost certainly a fox, although they seem a bit larger than you would expect. Could be a dog, but what would a dog be doing up there on its own! These are brilliant photos, wish I'd been out that day. I like those of Stob a'Choin, did it this summer in poor vis and hardly saw a thing.
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby GarryH » Sat Dec 06, 2008 4:26 pm

Almost certainly a fox

Having looked at a few wildlife web sites at fox tracks I think you`ve got it spot on Doug, thank-you.
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby yokehead » Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:57 am

What a day you had, must have been fantastic. Wonderful photos, great to see.
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Re: Stob Coire an Lochain (A Munro top of Stob Binnein)

Postby maddjock » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:05 am

fantastic photos there Steve..
wonderful early morning light and the best time to take photos..
quite like the shadow in a couple of them, esp your first shadow one.. adds to the foreground

dave
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