[Trip Index] [Munro Index] [Home] 19th March 2005   Stob a Choire Odhair Stob Ghabar Map I drove up as far as Moffat on the Thursday evening after work and slept in a layby there so I could get up to Crianlarich early the next day and do Cruach Ardrain and Beinn Tulaichean, my two outstanding munros in that area. As it happened there was low cloud and steady rain the next day and I sat in the car at the departure point for the 2 mountains watching the rain trickling down the windscreen in much the same way as I had done last time I'd tried for these two. After a while I decided to write Friday off and made my way up to the Bridge of Orchy where I booked myself into the bunkhouse for two nights. Saturday morning, however, looked more promising so I drove along the 4 mile lane behind the hotel as far as Forest Lodge where I parked the car and set off (9.10) towards Stob a Choire Odhair and Stob Ghabar. It was warm for March, with not much snow in evidence on the tops, in sharp contrast to my experience a year earlier. This time I was soon removing my shirt and carried on all the way to the top in my T-shirt. The Abhainn Shira river The track to Stob a Choire Odhair The cart-track from Forest Lodge led along the banks of the Abhainn Shira for about a mile at which point the route swung away from the river and headed in a fairly straight line up towards the hills. The tops were still obscured by light patches of cloud at this time but it was all dry so I carried on up to the smooth, grassy slopes of Stob a Choire Odhair. There the path rose steeply up the hillside, zig-zagging across the slope until the upper reaches where the incline gradually lessened. Then a gentle walk up over rockier ground took me to the top (11.20) where the wind was blowing a tad more freshly so I put my shirt back on. The summit was still surrounded by light mist, however, and there were no views to be had. The summit of Stob a Choire Odhair I paused for a bite to eat and to take my picture by the cairn and then a student I'd spoken to briefly in the car park turned up. He had glasses and a southern accent and said he was from Cardiff, but up in Scotland for 2 years doing a PhD in some fishy thing. He was based at Pitlochry where, as I recall, they have a salmon run - possibly that's what he was working with. From the summit of Stob a Choire Odhair I descended via the path, checking the route against the compass, and made my way to the bealach connecting Stob a Choire Odhair with the Aonach Eagach ridge - the way up to Stob Ghabar. As I crossed the bealach the cloud began to clear and I had some great views of the adjacent ridge, Sron nan Giubhas, looming up on the right with its sheer, snow-streaked cliffs dark against the bright blue sky. The bealach The Sron nan Giubhas ridge The bealach was a mix of grass and rocks but now as I started up the northern slopes of the Aonach Eagach ridge the terrain became more rocky and quite steep. Not difficult at any point though and at the top I turned west to make my way along a mildly exposed, narrow ridge - steep drops on either side but pretty safe really. This led to the final stage: a graceful, curving slope up to the summit of Stob Ghabar. (1.30) Stob Ghabar The weather had cleared and at the top there were fine views to the north and east whilst to the south-west the distant summit of Ben Cruachan could be seen as an island rising from a sea of white clouds. The same effect to a lesser degree appeared in the north-east where the snow-clad Ben Nevis looked down on greyer clouds and lesser peaks. Ben Cruachan poking out of the clouds Ben Nevis rising above clouds I had my new Garmin GPS with me - very handy for determining your current grid reference. It reckoned I was at a height of 3531 ft although I was standing maybe 5 feet lower than the actual summit when I took the reading. It gave the co-ordinates as E. 23039 N 45513 which looks pretty accurate according to the OS map. The GPS certainly gets through batteries at an alarming rate though - only good for one day's outing. The descent was down the S.E. ridge of the mountain - all easy-going although the path was a bit intermittent. Eventually it joined up with the original path of ascent alongside the Allt Toaig, and thence back to the Abhainn Shira, Forest Lodge and the car park (4.15). Stob a Choire Odhair from Stob Ghabhar Descending the S.E. ridge The Abhainn Shira A good day out. Back at the bunkhouse I was faced with the evening meal problem. This was the Bridge of Orchy Hotel after all (see 11/04/04) and the previous night I'd avoided eating there by the expedient of driving back to Tyndrum and getting a pasta bake (£5.95) at the Green Welly. Today, however, it was too late for that and I had to reluctantly try the bar. There I got a 'Butternut squash with goats cheese on a barley and rice risotto with a pesto and red chilli sauce' for £10.95. Difficult to see what it was like because of the low lighting but to be fair it tasted ok and this time there was at least enough to take the edge off your hunger. The meal took a while coming because apparently there was a 'function' taking place. This was a meal and birthday bash for Cameron someone and a steady stream of stocky jocks were arriving in their kilts, eager for a bit of mayhem . Not so many skean dubhs in evidence though, I noticed; maybe they're illegal now. The lady jocks were dressed up too although there was one blonde in a green dress who had a broad white bra strap cutting rather incongruously straight across the middle of her otherwise elegant low-cut back. Maybe it was a fashion thing - looked awful though. She had a kingfisher tattoo on her right shoulder. Everyone was smoking. There was to be a band - the 'Box o Bananas' but I left before it got started. It's never easy to get served in that bar as the staff seem to wander off half the time and with all the extra customers clamouring for attention I couldn't be bothered. I was tired from the day's outing anyway and ready for bed. Naturally the Box o Bananas started up at 10.00 and the ensuing racket ensured I wasn't going to get much sleep. On and on it went, like some infernal Greek torment, with the wretched singer sadistically promising 'just five more minutes' and promptly warbling flat out for 20 minutes. Then there'd be a break for the animal house noises - whoops and howls from the audience presumably indicating appreciation - which only served, of course, to goad the blasted bananas into responding with yet another execrable ditty. One enthusiast in particular kept bellowing out an imperative 'MORE!!!' after each song, the bastard. Unfortunately the bananas were all too susceptible to such wily cajolery and kept on and on and on… It was 1.15 when they finally finished, blast them.