Glen Etive: Stob a' Choire Odhair (226) and Stob Ghabhar (55)

Walk date: 08/07/15

My Munro #'s: 268 and 269

Pronunciations - translations - heights:
Stob a kora ooer - peak of the goat - 945m
Stop gower - peak of the dun coloured corrie - 1090m

Statistics:
Duration - 09:10 - 15:20

Distance -  18km
Total ascent -  1250m
Weather - grey start turned very wet for us on the first hill only to come quite nice on the second and a decent end.
Team - Paul P

Other hikers: 3 normal and 2 hill runners!

Hike week 2015 - Day 5 - Wednesday

This hike has a nice start on part of the West Highland Way and then a good estate track which heads west until the University of Glasgow club hut signals the start of the path up onto the hills.  This path is boggy at first but improves as height is gained.

The path onto Stob a' Choire Odhair is an obvious departure from the path up the glen after the hill's first flank is rounded, and progress remains good. despite the increased incline  Unfortunately for us this is where the clouds sunk around us and the heavens opened up.  I made a quick (correct!) decision to commit to my waterproof trousers and the rest of this hill was then a foggy and cold confusion until we found the descent route whereupon the weather thankfully broke and the sun even made an appearance - clearly the weather looked more kindly on Stob Ghabhar today!  That was a positive as comparing the two as we continued clearly showed Stob Ghabhar as the hill with the greater character.

The back of Stob Ghabhar has some great scrambly character with some steep sections and then a fine rocky but easy ridge sweeping to the summit, still with some snow lying.  At this point we were feeling pretty great until at the last moment we were pipped to the top by the strange breed of the fell runner!

Our descent was a fine stroll with just a bit of rough grassy randomness before finding a path again and making the quick crossing back across Allt Toaig and onto our original path for the return - a fine day out!


Forrest lodge near Victoria Bridge at the start:

Taking the estate track out to the start of the path:

The Uni of Glasgow club 'hut':

Going up alongside Allt Toaig ready for Stob a' Choire Odhair:

Looking over to Stob Ghabhar as the rain came on:

Coming out of it as we move off Stob a' Choire Odhair:

Looking back on the hill we never saw while on it!

Better weather, better hill - Stob Ghabhar:

Paul coming along up the nice scrambly path:

See!

Loving it!

Looking down from Coirein Lochain:

And the lochan itself:

More scrambling action:

The summit ridge, easy walking but on the rocky side:

Summit time!

Nice slopes from the top - looking over to Stob a' Choire Odhair:

Waterfalls on the descent:

Crossing the Allt Toaig:

Paul crossing with care!

Beers back at Glencoe Hostel!