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Stob a'Choire Odhair & Stob Ghabhar, Map 377E &/or 384.
13 May 2006 & 24 September 2010

Route: 1300m = 4280' ascent; 12.8 miles (4 miles on track, 9 miles on hill); 6½–7½ hrs.


Stob Ghabhar from Stob a'Choire Odhair. Aonach Eagach ridge of Stob Ghabhar. The view from Stob Ghabhar. The view northwards from Stob Ghabhar. Interesting deposits on boulders in the Linne nam Beathach.

Route: As usual for these pages, this route includes the associated two Munro tops, which lie out to the west of the two Munros. They make a very pleasant addition with good views, excellent terrain, and very little extra ascent.
The only disadvantage of this longer route is that the local estate doesn't allow you to walk through Clashgour farm and directs walkers along the rubbishy track beside the Abhainn Shira (Linne nam Beathach) between Clashgour and the green corrugated iron hut at Allt Toaig. Instead, I prefer a diversion to the north of the farm, as in my GPS route. However, the scenery along the Abhainn Shira is much better than that in the Clashgour woods.
In my opinion the ridge is best walked from E to W because of the steep screes ascending Stob Ghabhar, but consider doing the route in reverse if there is strong weather from the SW. My GPS route gives the standard ascent for the screes, but in poor conditions one alternative to them might be to take the ridge north of Coirein Lochain via a gully that rises NE to three tiny lochans at Airse nan Each NN242465.
However, another alternative to those screes which I first used when there was heavy snow on the usual route is to ascend a gully almost at the east end of Aonach Eagach. I will probably always use it in future. After the descent from Stob a'Choire Odhair, cross the Allt Toaig on the flat area near the path at NN24474551. Then ascend diagonally left to the bottom of a convenient buttress around NN24604525. Ascend the buttress with trivial scrambling to the flat ridge near NN24434514. From here it is an easy walk on pleasant terrain to the top of the Couloir Buttress (Aonach Eagach). This diversion off the standard route halves the amount of steep ascent by transferring half to a gentle grassy ridge and replaces loose terrain with firm. These two alternatives are outlined in the GPS route here.
Terrain: There are excellent roads, tracks and paths almost throughout, as well as very friendly vegetation on any higher ground where there are no paths. The only poor stretches are parts of the path along the Linne nam Beathach (if that alternative is chosen), and the screes up to Aonach Eagach are tiresome in the usual way. Overall, this makes for much faster walking than average.
Weather 13/5/06: Sunny, the odd cloud am, 8°C at car initially, rising to 14°C at car finally.
24/9/10: Stiff cold wind, 6–8°C at car, 2°C on tops, sunny, tops clear.
Access: Take minor road to Victoria Bridge from A82 in Bridge of Orchy, turning right on the far side of the bridge after 100m. Use sign-posted parking at Victoria Bridge, ½ mile after Inveroran hotel, before crossing the Abhainn Shira (about 3.5 miles from A82).

13/5/0624/9/10 Description Ht.Asc.Dist.Grid Ref.
09150920 Park at P at Victoria Bridge 170   00.0 milesNN27134202
   N along road over Victoria bridge 170  NN27084218
0920  Left at Forest Lodge, 100m beyond bridge,
onto track beside Abhainn Shira.
175  NN27064228
09350945 W along track to Clashgour Hut. 185  151.35 milesNN25624247
   Turn right (north) along superb track beside
Allt Toaig to track end
3501802.3 milesNN25214420
10151025 Continue N to:
Path split at ford of Allt Caolain Dubh
4352652.8 milesNN25324467
   Excellent path N/NE up ridge 900730 NN25574582
1105
-1110
1135
-1140
Continue to M Stob a'Choire Odhair (Orange) 9457753.7 milesNN25734598
   WSW down ridge to bend, being careful not to retrace
the ascent path – there should be a cliff to the right.
850  NN25224584
 1210
-1215
W down ridge to bealach 668 4.6 milesNN24364581
1140  Continue 100m W to (unclear) path split 680790 NN24254576
   Continue a further 250m to next path split 720830 NN24034581
   Bear WSW to path end on 1:50000 map 780 4.9 milesNN23754575
12151315 Continue obvious steep path S through screes up
ridge to top of Couloir Buttress (first top with cairn)
9701080 NN23714542
12251322.5 WSW to Couloir Buttress, Aonach Eagach
(last top with cairn)
99110955.25 milesNN23544535
   WSW to col 980  NN23504532
   WSW to plateau 10221135 NN23254525
   W to col 1013  NN23154528
1235
-1315
1335
-1350
NNW to M Stob Ghabhar (Orange) 109012055.7 milesNN23014552
   WNW/W to col 976  NN22404570
1330
-1335
1410 W to T Sron a'Ghearrain. (Surely not worthy
of "Top" status? – Cairn not at highest pt.)
99012306.3 milesNN22124568
   NW/WSW to Bealach Coire Laoghan, cutting corner 900  NN21384574
1400
-1410
1430
-1435
WNW to T Stob a'Bhruaich Leith (Orange) 94112607.1 milesNN20834598
   Return ESE to Bealach Coire Laoghan 900 7.5 milesNN21384574
   Almost due S down corrie (easy terrain)
to path end at 680m
680  NN21614485
   Path SE to wall/fence at burn 590  NN21884447
   Path S to bend 540  NN22004434
   Path E to next bend 480  NN22294441
 1555 Path SE beside Allt Ghabhar direct to Forest edge 240  NN23074288
1530 — EITHER: Continue SE to Clashgour farm gate. 210 10.2 milesNN23584257
1540 — Take right fork & path SSE down to river. 190  NN23814206
1605 — Path E along river (initially poor, but
improves considerably) to Clashgour Hut.
185 11.8 milesNN25624247
 —  OR: (faster but boring) Between forest gate
and trees, take deer path left over river.
    
 —1610 Continue path avoiding farm to N to private road.   10.3 milesNN23894270
 —1630 Road E through forest to Clashgour Hut 185 11.4 milesNN25624247
   THEN: Track E back to corner at Forest Lodge 175 12.5 milesNN27064228
16251650 S to Victoria bridge 170  NN27084218
16301655 Road S to P near Victoria Bridge. 170 12.8 milesNN27134202


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