via Lairig Eilde

Overview

The Buachaille Etive Beag is basically made up of two peaks at either end of its 4km ridge with an unnamed peak in the centre. The two peaks are as follows: Stob Coire Raineach 925m/3035ft, Pronounced: Stop Kora Ran-ach, Translation: Peak of the Corrie of the Ferns (This peak was promoted to a munro in a revision of the Munros in 1997). Stob Dubh 958m/3143ft, Pronounced: Stop Doo, Translation: Black Peak.

The translation of Buachaille Etive Beag (pronounced: booachil etiv bek) is Small Herdsman of Etive.

This is a fairly moderate climb, thats boggy in places and very steep for most of the climb into the bealach. Once in the bealach, the ridge walking begins and the only difficulty is deciding where to point your camera!

Approx time taken: 6 hours

Getting There

From Glasgow take the A82 road via Loch Lomond direct to Glencoe.

Glencoe can also be accessed from Stirling, Perth or Edinburgh by joining the A85 road or from Fort William by joining the A82 road southbound.

Car parking is available directly across from The Study.

Regular buses run along the A82 road from Glasgow and Edinburgh heading for Fort William.

Route Description

From the car park across from The Study follow the signpost that indicates the right of way from Lairig Eilde to Glen Etive. Follow this path for roughly 600yards until a track bears left onto the open hillside prior to the footpath crossing the river. This track was not east to see as it is basically a bit of a mudpath created by a wet summer and all the people that have been trampling up and down it. Follow this track SSW through boggy, grassy ground (being careful not to stand on any of the frogs that keep jumping out of the long grass) gradually changing your bearing SE as you plod along the track. Eventually you will reach a footpath at around 400ft that cuts its way up towards the bealach at 750ft that is SW of Stob Coire Raineach. That footpath is very steep at points and is occasionaly muddy but will get you to the bealach at the centre of the ridge.

At this point you have the option of which of the two Munro peaks to do first or second. You can either do Stob Coire Raineach first or Stob Dubh first. My personal preference was to pick off the latter first as this was furtherst away.

Bealach to Stob Dubh
Head SW upwards to the unnamed peak(925ft). Continue along the ridge which narrows at points, until a short climb brings you atop. Head for the second cairn as this is the true summit. Return back along the ridge to the bealach.

Bealach to Stob Coire Raineach
Head NE up through steep rocky ground (The path skirts through the rocks and ocassionaly disappears so care should be taken in poor visibility) until reaching the summit cairn. If you wish you can continue NE to Stob nan Cabar as this will give you a view down onto the Glencoe road. Return back down to the bealach.

From the bealach descend back down to the car park the way you came up.

Essential Gear

Summer conditions: Backpack, walking boots/trainers, hat, gloves, water, food, waterproofs(your in Scotland you can bet it is going to rain at some point), map, compass, first aid kit, penknife, spare socks, walking poles can be good to ease the jarring on the old knees and your camera.

Winter conditions: All of the above and ice axe, crampons, helmet and rope.

Images

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