A fabulous ridge walk in Glen Coe with superlative views
With fewer guests to look after towards the end of the season, Cameron and I will head out into the hills at any given opportunity. With Glencoe being less than a 40-minute drive away from Distant Hills Guest House, we decided one late October morning to hike Buachaille Etive Beag. This is described as a 5 mile walk which includes a rocky ridge traverse and the summit of two Munros: Stob Coire Raineach and Stob Dubh.
As we arrived at the car park, we were surprised to find just one parking space left proving our theory that October is a fabulous and popular time to go hiking in the Scottish Highlands. With an autumnal chill in the air, we donned our layers and set off along the well-signposted path. Busy admiring the scenery and looking for the stags that we could hear roaring around us, we soon realised that we had missed the left fork that leads up towards the ridge! After a little ‘cross-country’ we were soon back on the well-constructed path which began to ascend towards the bealach between the two Munro summits. The ascent is more akin to a long rocky flight of stairs for which we were very grateful. The steps felt a little relentless at times, but they did help to keep our gait and pace steady and were very useful for navigation purposes.
After about an hour of walking, we had reached the bealach known as Mam Buidhe. From here, you must make the decision which Munro to summit first. We chose the peak to our right – Stob Dubh, the highest of the two Munros at 958m. The wind was had started to whip up, so it was time to put our heads down, put one foot in front of the other and trudge onwards and upwards as the gradient became a little steeper.
It was not too long before the awe-inspiring, narrow-looking ridge leading to the summit of Stob Dubh came into view. I admit to feeling a little anxious at this stage. I have never been too confident on airy ridges and the wind was adding an extra cause for concern. I really need not have worried. It was a classic case of the ridge looking far steeper and narrower from a distance than it was. Luckily for me, the wind died suddenly too. My emotions switched from near fear to near ecstasy in a matter of seconds! As if the impressive ridgeline was not enough of a delight, suddenly the breath-taking view down over Loch Etive revealed itself. This walk had already won me over!
Grinning from ear-to-ear, Cameron and I pretty much skipped to the summit and then found ourselves a little spot just off the path to sit down and savour the jaw-dropping views. We could have stayed there for hours but we still had some guests to look after back in Spean Bridge, so we had to push on to ensure we had sufficient time to climb the second summit.
From the top of Stob Dubh, we simply retraced our steps along the ridge to the bealach. The views now in the opposite direction were equally mesmerising with the ridgeline of the better-known Buachaille Etive Mor looming to our right and our second Munro summit, Stob Coire Raineach, now beckoning us ahead.
The ascent up Stob Coire Raineach follows a steep and rocky path with several variants and is relatively short in distance. It took us a little over half an hour to get to the top which provided plenty of space to wander and find the perfect spot to take it all in. Once again, we simply marvelled at the 360-degree views. Stob Dubh which we had climbed just an hour so before, looked so impressive and was a stark contrast to the spawling lowlands of Rannoch Moor in the opposite direction. The trained eye could pick out Ben Nevis, the Grey Corries, Aonach Eagach ridge, Bidean Nam Bian and of course the Buachaille Etive Beag’s better known neighbour – Buachaille Etive Mor. Also, from this summit, you can see the prominant Blackwater Resevoir.
Reluctant to leave such a stunning spot, we knew we had to get back to our lovely Distant Hills Guest House in Spean Bridge, so we started the descent and retraced our steps back to the car park. The rewards from the walk were far from over as the autumn sun began to set on the lower hills making them glow a beautiful golden colour. And the stag continued to roar around us. It truly was an experience we will never forget!
We would highly recommend this walk to anyone with a reasonable amount of fitness and hillwalking experience. The ridge traverse to the summit of Stob Dubh can appear daunting from a distance but there is a very good path all the way.
If you prefer to walk with the safety of others and a qualified guide, then please consider our Distant Hills walking holidays, which we run in April and October. To read more information, please click here here.
If you have done this walk before, please tell us what you thought to it in the comments below.
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