Buachaille Etive Beag Hike

Buachaille Etive Beag is 7 miles east of Glencoe village, 85 miles northwest of Glasgow, with two Munros, the 3,035ft, 925m Stob Coir as seen in the top image right, and 3,143ft, 958m Stob Dubh at the south end of the range, the peak in the middle is not a Munro.

The top image right is from the A82 road looking at the east side of Buachaille Etive Beag, a top Mountain photo in Scotland. The Mountain is too steep from this side for hikers, is hiked from the west side where there is a car park about 1 mile further down the road.

The Glasgow to Fort William & Skye bus passes here but the closest stops are at the Glencoe Ski Centre 5 and a half miles east, or the Glencoe Visitor Centre 5 and a half miles west.

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Just before you pass the Mountain, you will see a car park with a sign for the path down the east side named Lairig Gartain. This path leads 5 miles to Glen Etive, a good path for photos.

The car park for the hike is right next to the main road on the west side of the Mountain, as seen right, at about 600ft /200m above sea level.

A good path leaves from the car park running up between the first two peaks to about 2,400ft / 730m, this is the trail you come back down as well, only safe way up and down.

Once up on the ridge between the first two peaks where there is a large cairn, that is the toughest section completed, with most people then heading south to the south peak name Stob Dubh as it is the highest and most scenic with a bit of a rocky ridge up to the summit, also it is a nice steady incline trail with good views south down Glen Etive.

The middle peak is not a Munro, must be classed as a part of Stob Dubh.

On the same route back, some people visit the north peak named Stob Coir that is steeper with loose rock much of the way, then go back down the same path to the car park, some go to one summit one day, then return for the other summit another day.

The best views from Stob Coir are from about 30 yards west of the Summit Cairn looking west down Glen Coe to the large Glen Coe Viewpoint, also straight down into the Car Park.

I estimate it is about 3,300ft / 1,006m of hiking visiting the 3 peaks including the ups between the mountains and taking away the 600ft that the car park is above sea level, so will average 5 and a half hours hiking, add time on if you like a few breaks.

These are regarded as the easiest and safest of the Glen Coe Mountains, so probably the first ones you should hike when in the area.

Make sure and take an Ordnance Survey Map and Compass on these hikes, and know how to use them, as in cloud, these mountains can be deadly. In Winter, make sure you have Crampons and an Ice Axe, and know how to use them.

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