A 3rd Round of Munros

Sgurr Choinnich Mor

Four Munros to go to finish my 3^rd round and all of them spread out along the Grey Corries ridge a few miles NE of Ben Nevis.  The ridge itself, a twisting, turning snake of angular quartzite boulders, really only contains 2 Munros (Stob Choire Claurigh and Stob Coire an Laoigh). The other 2 (Stob Ban and Sgurr Choinnich Mor) sit inconveniently off the main ridge and significantly complicate any plan to climb all 4 Munros in a single day.  As I planned to do.

Across the Grey Corries From Stob Ban

Starting from a short way above Corriechoille, 3Kms E of Spean Bridge, I pushed the bike up the forest track that leads up through the Lairig Leacach and eventually to Corrour & Rannoch.  I only needed to go as far as the small bothy which lies 2Kms beyond the summit of the Lairig.

Stop Ban Above the Lairig Leacach Bothy

From here, a path leads SW up through the heather and grass and over a subsidiary top to the distinctive quartzite cone of Stob Ban (977m; white peak).  Being a cone, there then followed a steep descent to the 800m bealach that separates Stob Ban from the main Grey Corries ridge.

Stob Ban

The path continues up the other side on grassy slopes for a fairly sustained climb of almost 380m before the grass gives way to a quartzite boulder field that heralds the approach to the summit of Stob Choire Claurigh (1177m; peak of the noisy corrie).

Stob Choire Claurigh From Stob Ban

By now, the cloud had come down and I saw nothing of the ridge as I strode manfully(!) on over all the subsidiary lumps and bumps including Stob a’ Choire Leith (1105m), Stob Coire Cath na Sine (1079m) and Caisteal (1106m) before reaching the 3^rd Munro of the day: Stob Coire an Laoigh (1116m; peak of the corrie of the calf).

Stob Coire Easain & Stob Coire an Laoigh

Still in cloud, one more descent/re-ascent placed me on Stob Coire Easain (1080m) from where my last Munro finally appeared in view across a 935m bealach.  The descent to the bealach is rocky in places and requires care; the re-ascent on the other side is steep.  But finally, I was on the impressive sharp summit ridge of my ultimate goal and a very weary bunny almost staggered up to the summit of Sgurr Choinnich Mor (1094m; big mossy peak) to become only the 74^th triple Munroist.

Sgurr Choinnich Mor 

This is a fine mountain and deserved more singular treatment, particularly to celebrate the end of my 3^rd round.  As it was, any elation was somewhat subsumed by fatigue and the knowledge of how far I had yet to go to get back to the car.

Approaching the Last Summit

Still, it was a great relief and the resultant uplift in spirits provided a welcome pick-me-up as I traversed back to Stob Coire Easain and along the main ridge.  I picked a route that descended between Stob Choire Claurigh & Stob Ban (missing both peaks) that got me back down to the bothy in reasonable time.  

Lairig Leacach

Then it was back on the bike for a superb fast freewheel all the way down the Lairig Leacach and that most welcome of sights after a long hill-day: a motor car!

Stob Ban

The 3^rd round had largely come to me through my professional work with Hillways without which I would never have come close to achieving it.  And whist I am already half-way through a 4^th round for the same reason, it ain’t going to happen again!

Or is it…….

Check out my plans for similar walks at http://www.hillways.co.uk/.htm