[Trip Index] [Munro Index] [Home] 31st July 2004   The Grey Corries Stob Ban Stob Choire Claurigh Stob Coire an Laoigh Map This was a great day apart from some midges. Under clear, sunny skies I drove up the unclassified road to Corriechoille Farm and from there continued on along a rough track as far as the dismantled tramway at the start of a forest. I parked the car there and set off at 10.15 to walk the 4 miles or so up the Lairig Leacach to the bothy, the starting point for the ascent of Stob Ban. It was a nice, easy-going walk through about a mile of forest and then through open countryside with the successive corbetts of Cruach Innse and Sgurr Innse on the left. I felt a distinct feeling of remoteness walking along that track, with not a soul, nor building, nor fence, nor wall in sight in any direction. The forest track The Lairig Leacach and Cruach Innse Eventually, however, I came to the bothy; not much there, just an empty shell of a building with a broom and a swept earth floor - not a place to sleep unless you're desperate. Midgy too so I didn't pause for much of a rest, just headed off up the path for Stob Ban. You do get a good view of the mountain from there though. The bothy Stob Ban A grassy trek led to Stob Ban where I missed the path on the lower slopes and had to contour round the side of the hill a bit. Not much of a problem though and after a steep, hot slog I got to the summit (1.05). More midges there, annoying but I didn't get bitten. I'd rubbed 'Jungle Gel' repellent onto my exposed bits & sprayed another product on as well for good measure. Didn't seem to repel them much but, as I said, I didn't get bitten so maybe it worked after all. A Scottish couple arrived at the top as I was leaving; the girl was slim and blonde with sunglasses and nice legs. Of course my legs are nice too, insofar as they've got me around satisfactorily for 54 years, it's just that hers looked er… very nice. Hmm, digging myself into a hole here, aren't I? Best move on… They had come over from Stob Coire Claurigh and intended to return to it before carrying on along the Grey Corries ridge. It seemed a funny way of doing it to me, having to scale Stob Coire Claurigh twice, but anyway after getting the bloke to take my picture I left them behind and set off. The descent down Stob Ban's NNW side was very steep, a zigzaggy track down loose scree but it was safe enough really and I soon got to the bealach. From there it was another hard slog up the slopes of Stob Coire Claurigh, mostly grass and rocks topped by a rocky summit and cairn (2.20). Stob Coire Claurigh from Stob Ban   The Grey Corries ridge from Stob Coire Claurigh There was a bloke about my age at the top, together with his son and his son's pal. I think they had someone else with them as well but he was obviously the fit one for he'd bashed on ahead and I never saw him (I think I passed him later lying on his back waiting for his pals but it could have been someone else). The old boy said he was from Northampton and had come up on the sleeper train; he'd done about 70+ munros to date while his son was on about 172. He also said they were intending doing all 4 munros that day, although like the Scottish couple they'd gone from Stob Coire Claurigh to Stob Ban and back so must have used up a fair bit of energy already. I told him the guide book said there was a fair bit of descent and reascent for the last, outlying one - and of course you then had to return and climb No 3 again as well. I had a bite to eat and got a photo taken while the couple turned up and carried straight on along the ridge. From Stob Coire Claurigh there were great views all round, with the way ahead stretching out invitingly - an attractive, undulating trail leading off to the south west. I waited for 5 mins after the dad party left to let them get clear and then I set off. It was an excellent walk along the ridge with clear views and easy slopes. There were some cliffs along the way, a few narrow crests, a couple of scrambly bits and the odd stack - a nice varied walk. After half a mile or so I saw a bloke ahead of me leave the ridge and descend the steep SE hillside to the open wilderness below, where he walked round rather aimlessly and then sat down by a lochan. I watched him for some time wondering if he was ok, but he didn't seem in any distress so presumably he just wanted a bit of solitude. At Caisteal I overtook the party of three and carried on up the easy ascent of Stob Coire an Laoigh (3.45) where I met up with the couple again. He obligingly took my pic for the second time that day and I remarked that I didn't know whether to try for the last munro or not. He said that he'd already done it on a previous occasion but that otherwise 'we would be doing it' - at which Blondie explained amiably that he was, of course, using the royal 'we'. He reckoned I should give it a go but I was a bit dubious because I could see it would mean quite a bit of effort on top of the long walk back I was already facing. Furthermore I'd accidentally left my phone in the car and knew that Trisha would start worrying if I was late - I'd said I'd ring from the tops if there was a signal but obviously hadn't been able to. I decided to walk to the next peak, Stob Coire Easain, which was on the way back anyway, and see how it looked from there. Looking back at the ridge from Stob Coire an Laoigh It was a quick, easy climb across to Stob Coire Easain and I paused and pondered there for a while but it was 4.15 and I reckoned it would take me an hour to get to the top of Sgurr Choinnich Mor and another hour to get back plus a couple of hours to get back to the car. So I decided to call it a day and set off back along Stob Coire Easain's northern ridge - a broad, grassy, gentle descent with steep cliffs falling away on the east side. As I descended I looked back and saw 3 figures reaching the top of Stob Coire Easain and setting off down towards the last Munro. Ten minutes later I looked back again and saw them making their way back - I think dad must have made them see sense. The broad grassy northern ridge At the end of the north ridge At the end of the north ridge the ground fell away towards the forest giving a good view of the land ahead so I took the opportunity to check the map and identify exactly where I needed to go. The couple were only a short way ahead of me but the girl was flagging now and had put a leg brace on one leg. I stopped for a minute to take a picture from the end of the ridge and oddly when I looked again I couldn't see them anywhere. It was a long slog back down to the dam on the Allt Choinhidh, with no obvious path, just grass and bog and in the final stages bracken. I was sweaty, smelly and knackered by the time I got there and still no sign of the couple. I set off along the forestry track and overshot - it's easy to miss the path on your right. When I realised I'd missed it I retraced my steps for ¼ mile and came across the couple again. The girl was lying on the ground and the lad was going to go back and fetch the car for her. I wouldn't have fancied lying there for an hour myself, not with all the midges that were about there, but she seemed ok with it. I found the path with her mate but it led to a wire fence which we had to climb over, and then we had to struggle up a bank of bracken in order to reach a boggy track. Being half my age and in a hurry to succour Blondie he bade me goodbye then and yomped off alone up the path. What a path - a swamp more like. Boggy, squelchy and infested with every kind of flying bug you could think of. And it seemed to go on for miles! Still at last I finally made it back to the car - nearly 7.00 pm by then. I was certainly glad I hadn't tried for No 4. By the time I'd changed clothes, rung Trisha and driven back from the wilderness there was no accommodation anywhere - mile after mile of 'No Vacancy' signs. I decided to try for the Kings House Hotel at the head of Glencoe but that was full too and they had stopped serving food. I had a piece of sugary cake, a bag of crisps and a pint of Guinness and slept in the car in Glen Etive.