© Copyright Dominic Rhodes 2014-2017

Buachaille Etive Beag ridge, looking towards Stob Dubh from Stob Coire Raineach.

Stob Dubh

Meaning - Dark Peak

Summit Location - NN17914, 53534

Height - 958m

Munro Number - 200

Stob Coire Raineach

Meaning - Peak of the Corrie of Ferns

Summit Location - NN19138, 54790

Height - 925m

Munro Number - 263

Distance - 7.7km

Total Ascent - 914m

Estimated Time - 2.5 hrs up to Stob Coire Raineach / 1 hr across to Stob Dubh / 1.5 hrs down

Difficulty - 2/5

OS Explorer Map - 384

Climbed - 2014

Weather - Sunny spells, some medium-level cloud, breezy.

Buachaille Etive Beag, or the Little Herdsman of Etive, is quite literally in the shadow of it's big brother - the legendary Buachaille Etive Mor. The former still offers a fun day out, two Munros plus something you don't get on Buachaille Etive Mor, which is a view of the magnificent Big Herdsman of Etive itself!

I followed a description in a scrambling guide which suggested these peaks could be climbed straight from the A82 via a grade II scramble up Creag nan Cabar, just to the north of Stob Coire Raineach. This benefit of this is you then have a circular walk. I can't recommend this route to anyone though, the route described later on this page is the standard route.

The difficulty presented by Creag nan Cabar is that route finding is very tough. Perhaps there is a scramble on there but the route I found myself on was very tough. Much tougher than even the Aonach Eagach, which I'd climbed the day before. The higher I climbed the tougher it got and the exposure was considerable. Wet rock and greasy moss meant alarm bells were ringing loudly in my head. It was a huge relief to reach easier ground at Stob nan Cabar. The two Munros were bagged without any further difficulty.

The standard route (no scrambling) follows the Lairig Eilde path, until another path branches left to ascend a col between the two Munro peaks. Head north for Stob Core Raineach, return to the col, then continue south to Stob Dubh before once again returning to the col. Return by route of ascent.

Route

1 - Start from the small car park on the A82, a few hundred metres east of the waterfall in Glen Coe (the bit where the road squeezes between rocks). A well constructed path leads south from here, into Lairig Eilde. This path eventually leads to Glen Etive but after about 500m you’ll take a right fork onto another path that sides the western slopes of Buachaille Etive Beag.  

2 - This path climbs reasonable gently at first, and then gets steeper as you gain height. Eventually you’ll reach a col at 748m, separating the two Munros. You can climb them in any order, but since it’s closest why not turn left to head up a broad ridge and bag Stob Coire Raineach first.  

3 - Return to the col, then continue south along an undulating ridge to Stob Dubh, about 1.5km away. The last part of the climb is quite steep, but well short of a scramble.  

4 - Return to the col and then return to the start point via your route of ascent.

Buachaille Etive Beag: Stob Dubh and Stob Coire Raineach

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