walkhighlands

Top tips for killing a day in Glen Coe

Munros: Stob Coire Raineach (Buachaille Etive Beag), Stob Dubh (Buachaille Etive Beag)

Date walked: 23/04/2022

Time taken: 4 hours

Wee Santa here, it's been quite a while! On my own this time. I've been flapping up and down the highlands for various uni placements for a few weeks, and a combination of cancelled plans and booking the wrong ferry to Islay left me with a whole 2 days to make the trip down from Inverness to Kennacraig. With a last minute base with some lovely friends in Fort William (and still grumpy from getting blown off Ben Wyvis last week) I decided to make the most of my bad planning and find a nice hill to bag.

I set off from the Fort well fortified with toast, bacon and beans, and arrived at the beehive cairn at around 11:30 to snag the very last parking spot! For future time-wasting activities, would recommend getting there a bit earlier :shock: . Set off happily up the Lairig Eilde on the gently rising path and found myself all of a sudden on the steppy bit that was rather steeper than I was ready for. Anyway, with lots of tactful stopping to admire the admittedly spectacular view, pet happy dogs, and take my jacket on and off, I made it up onto the bealach in reasonable time.
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halfway up to the bealach, very much in need of the photo break

I headed off up the right hand path to take me up Stob Dubh first and found the very-steep-scary-looking-bit to be surprisingly manageable after the pull up to the bealach - just needed a wee stop halfway up it for some restorative peanuts and to appreciate a very resilient patch of snow. The cairn at the top of the ridge appeared all of a sudden and was followed by a lovely wee jaunt along the ridge to the top. Wandering just a little past the summit for my cup of tea I came upon an absolutely incredible view down Glen Etive all the way to the paps of Jura in the distance.
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eeee just look at that lovely ridge

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tea on the top - no happy mug unfortunately, my wee flask top will have to do

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absolute cracker of a view down Glen Etive with the paps of Jura visible right in the distance!

Heading back the way I came, my ankles nearly came a-cropper on the steep stony bits back to the bealach as I was so busy staring hopelessly at Bidean and Stob Coire Screamhach with their fabulous snowy bits and the big buachaille across the other way to look where I was putting my feet. Thankfully made it down without faceplanting entirely and set straight off the other way up Stob Coire Raineach.
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Bidean being very distracting

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Big buachaille looking imposing from just above the bealach

The path up SCR is a bit all over the place at times - I kept finding it again having never wandered off it in the first place? The 'path' I ended up on was an interesting combination of grass, scree and scramble but it was cracking fun and I was on the top before I knew it. Stopped again for a bask in the sunshine, a brew and to enjoy the view of the Aonach Eagach and the Big Ben further north, and then headed back down again to the bealach, this time by a completely different not-the-path path.
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Bidean again from SCR summit

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And north across to blackwater reservoir and Ben Nevis

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Heading back home that way? What a chore

By the time I got back to the bealach again i was having such a lovely time that I really didn't want to head back down! I stopped for wee sit and a snack in the sunshine, and gave myself a bit of a stern talking to about getting off the hill in a reasonable time - finally set off back down the lovely path into the Lairig Eilde and enjoyed listening to my knees and ankles moan about the steps again on the way down.

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Comments: 3



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Attachment(s) Munros: Schiehallion
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Attachment(s) Date walked: 18/02/2012
Distance: 8.65km
Ascent: 320m
Comments: 6
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Attachment(s) Corbetts: The Cobbler
Date walked: 03/08/2009
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coldwetandhungry


User avatar
Location: Edinburgh
Occupation: trainee dog/cow/horse/sheep fixer
Activity: Mountain Walker
Place: islay
Gear: Trusty boots
Ideal day out: a sunny ridge up top, some native trees below, followed by a very large cup of tea

Munros: 31
Corbetts: 1
Wainwrights: 3
Hewitts: 1
Sub 2000: 1



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Statistics

2022

Trips: 1
Munros: 2

2012

Trips: 2
Distance: 8.65 km
Ascent: 320m
Munros: 1

2009

Trips: 1
Corbetts: 1


Joined: Feb 11, 2012
Last visited: Sep 07, 2023
Total posts: 27 | Search posts