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Didn't fancy driving up the rough road so came up with alternative plan: park just outside Spean Bridge and cycle up the the bothy at Stob Ban, do the ridge then return to bike for an easy coast back to car. Sounds OK in theory - came off the bike on the way to the bothy though, had to fix brakes, further on I realised I'd left gloves when I came off so backtracked a few km, didn't find them, used spare gloves instead. All this added 1 hour, 5km and 150m of ascent so subtract that for non-slapstick route
Just past the lodge, rough road with a few potholes but manageable with care:
Wee Minister:
Route up the Lairig, there's a locked gate before this but you can sqeeze the bike through the side gate:
Bothy, couple of other bikes here:
Path to Stob Ban:
Snowy Stob Ban, met a couple of walkers here who were just doing this one. Thought about doing the same as I'd taken longer than expected on the journey up and cycling uphill was surprisingly draining
Cairn, pretty stony up here:
Steep down to the bealach and a lot of ascent to Stob Choire Claurigh:
Stob Ban from frozen lochan at bealach:
Decided to have a look at the ridge, tough climb up Stob Choire Claurigh. Made it to cairn, Stob Ban looking small from up here:
That's the big ascent over and the ridge looks good
:
Hard snow in places, some soft powdery snow too, further along:
German walker in the distance had left handy footprints to follow:
View back from Stob Coire Cath na Sine, didn't want to go back up Stob Choire Claurigh on the return so plan was to descend to bealach from the lowest point of the ridge here:
To Stob Ban bealach, return route:
Weather holding up, few flecks of snow which would become heavier later. Onwards to Stob Coire an Laoigh, Munro number 3:
And the last Munro, Sgurr Choinnich Mor from Stob Coire an Laoigh. Bit more ascent to get to this one so I ditched the pack here & picked it up on the way back:
Sgurr Choinnich Mor from Stob coire Easain, steep rocky descent:
And a steep snowy ascent, deep snow holes and a few false summits before the top:
Western Mamores:
And eastern:
Now all I need to do is get back to bealach at Stob Ban on the right. Before it gets dark.
To save time I bumslid down one slope, then tried it on another but this time the snow was harder and the slope steeper so gained too much speed & had to self arrest with ice axe. Here's the slope, looks tame enough
:
Sgurr Choinnich Mor again, sun getting lower:
Glen Coe hills:
Back to Stob Coire an Laoigh:
Descended from ridge before Stob Choire Claurigh and made for bealach, snow icy & firm here:
Then made for the path on the left hand side of the burn, this led back to the bothy.
Back on the bike for a speedy coast back to the car, got dark about halfway there so needed lights & got a shock when the sinister minister appeared
