Author Topic: (TR) A Day on the Wee Buachaille - Buachaille Etive Beag, Glencoe  (Read 6575 times)

sparnel

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1165
Trip Report Day 1.
It's always great to meet up with old friends and this weekend was no exception! Yorksgirl, Domtheone, Robnolan, Snakehips, Strider and myself, Sparnel met up in Glencoe for another Scottish adventure. We were joined by another friend, Alex, for a day out on Buachaille Etive Mor, affectionately known as the Wee Buachaille. Unfortunately, Jontea, a stalwart of these trips was unable to attend due to family illness, but as always, family comes first. We missed you John!
Accommodation was in the first class hostel in Glencoe (SYHA) for the weekend of 25th - 27th Sept. The weather was good, no rain, high cloud and the midges were only at 'low level'!
Buachaille Etive Beag has two Munros on it and the object was to conquer both of them. We set off from the car park at half past nine and were immediately on the hill path. There is no long walk in for this hill as the path starts almost immediately from the car park.
The path is good all the way to the lowest part of the ridge or bealach.



Rob, Colin, Mark, Ruth, Dom, Bill..........guess who's who! Photo taken by Alex.


After a cuppa and a snack we headed southwest along the ridge towards the first of the two munros, Stob Dubh which means Black Hill in Gaelic. The Buachaille Etive Beag massif comprises three summits over three thousand feet in height and runs parallel with its bigger neighbour Buachaille Etive Mor, the big Buachaille.  
There were fantastic views of the neighbouring Glencoe hills and away to the north are the Mamores, with Ben Nevis showing up well through the morning mist.  



Alex with Ben Nevis showing up in the background.


The good weather had brought a few other folks out and it was to chat to other walkers mainly from other Scottish areas and a few from abroad. The Scottish hills are never as busy as the Lakeland fells so if anyone reading this desires some isolation try the hills and glens north of Loch Lomond!
The further along the ridge we went the better the views became. Here is Loch Etive with the might of Ben Starav to the left. It was in the glen below that part of the James Bond film, Skyfall was filmed.





Stob Dubh gives the impression to me anyway, of a classic mountain profile, steep and pointy!





Undaunted, the team press on............





The ridge is generally broad but now and again you are reminded you are three thousand odd feet up a hill when it narrows a bit! Here is a view looking along the ridge towards Stob Dubh.





We traversed the ridge back to the bealach and set off for the second Munro, Stob Coire Raineach. The views this time are to the north and north east. Away in Perthshire, the pyramid shape of Schiehallion dominates the horizon. The Mamores with the unpronounceable names and Ben Nevis are in constant view. We can look across to the Anoach Eagach and can see Lochs Leven and Linnhe in the distance. The great dam of the Blackwater Reservoir above Kinlochleven is easily spotted and the boggy wilderness of Rannoch Moor stretches to the horizon. Below Ruth, Dom and Colin enjoy looking at Bidean nam Bian and Stob Coire nan Lochan. The Anoach Eagach ridge is to the right.





From the bealach we descended by the same route we came up and was back at the car park by mid afternoon. The Clachaig bar was the destination for the Saturday dinner. A few refreshments were welcome!
A great day in the hills with a great company of friends! Haste ye back!












jontea

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3492
Excellent day one T/R Bill, and great photo's too. those views look amazing from the wee Buachaille. Glad the weather held out for you all and it looks like another successful hostel meet  ;)   Thanks for posting  O0 


Can I just ask about that last photo; has Rob put a midge on Colin's plate, then pretending not to look ?  ;D    
« Last Edit: 22:55:31, 27/09/15 by jontea »
Walking is the world’s oldest exercise and today’s modern medicine.

https://www.johntrowsdaleart.com/

Instagram  jontea62

Dizzy

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 884
Lovely photos, need to get up there soon :)

sunnydale

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9105
Fantastic O0
***Happiness is only a smile away***

Rhino

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3873
Great Read Bill really enjoyed it and the pictures that have some great views with rugged mountains everywhere  O0
Wainwrights Completed 12/12/15

yorksgal

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10667
Brilliant TR bill and great to meet up with you again  O0
 
Brilliant walk and better with the company that attended :) :)

domtheone

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1686
Ditto all that.

Thanks for putting up a TR Bill.  Great effort.

Thanks for hosting tea and biscuits too O0


Will add some pics to the thread in a day or so.
If they don't like you going out, they'll love you coming in!

*Money back guarantee does not cover for **** weather!

Strider

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1386
No John, 'twas a daddy long legs  ;D

Thanks for posting Bill, great TR and a great time too.
Not all those who wander are lost

snakehips

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1328
Good to see you again bill great report as well and some pretty good pics hope you enjoy your holiday
they say that 50 is the new 21 (fingers crossed)

sparnel

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1165
So what happened on days 2 & 3 then? Anyone care to do a write up?

gary m

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3102
great trip report and photos
you have 1 life live it

domtheone

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1686
Day 2 was the 2 Glens between the 2 ridges from this/last year and Day 3 was the drive home. ;D


I'll try to put something up re Day 2 (Sunday) on Sunday :)


Probably not worth a trip report for day 3 :D


If they don't like you going out, they'll love you coming in!

*Money back guarantee does not cover for **** weather!

domtheone

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1686
Few more pics from Day 1












If they don't like you going out, they'll love you coming in!

*Money back guarantee does not cover for **** weather!

domtheone

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1686

Day 2 - Low Level walk in the valleys between Buachaille Etive Mor and Buachaille Etive Beag

And then there were 4



The weather was better on day 2.  Lovely blue skies for the best part of the morning.  Setting off on the same path as day 2.



This time though we kept on straight up the valley.




After an hour or so, we spotted company to our right.




A short climb up to the left and then a nice decent down behind the back of Stob Dubh (which we stood on top of the day before)


Once down towards the bottom, with nice views towards Glen Etive, we split up for a short while.

Ruth, then i, took the short cut down and up a steep, muddy bank, whilst Mark and Colin descended further down into the valley.

We chilled for a while whilst we watched the  2 of them navigate there way down, across and then back up towards us. 

Ruth on her way back up to a nice spot to sit and wait.  The other 2 would eventually rejoin us.  Those with eagle eyes may spot Mark in the picture ;D



There then followed a fairly long and, hot at times, climb back up the valley.  This time with the ridge from yesterday on our right and the ridge from last year on our left.

Ruth at the top of the climb.  All downhill back to the car from here.



Down we go


After a mile or so we stopped for lunch.  Nice place this for a pit stop.

After a well earned rest and bite to eat (Cheers for the pork pie Mark ;D ) we continued on down, back towards the car park.


One last look back up the valley.





« Last Edit: 16:37:40, 04/10/15 by domtheone »
If they don't like you going out, they'll love you coming in!

*Money back guarantee does not cover for **** weather!

sparnel

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1165
Great trip report Dom! Enjoyed reading it. It is a nice walk that one. Hopefully it may encourage more forum friends to join us next year..............it's not all high level stuff!

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy