Stob A’Ghlais Choire

14 October 2023

As my time in Scotland drew to a close, my climbing partner and I decided to get one more hill in the bag before I was forced back to Flatland. Due to timing, we were looking for something in Glencoe and without too much commitment. Ultimately we ended up with a simple alternative to the Creise/Meall a’Bhuiridh walk. We would do the loop clockwise: starting with a Grade II scramble up Stob a’Ghlais Choire before taking the ridge to Creise, descending to a saddle, and then back to the carpark via Meall a’Bhuiridh.

Always a gamble, the morning was nearly perfect. The first snows of the season arrived above about 900m the previous night, but the clouds had cleared leaving us with a superb autumn day, if a bit windy. The initial traverse was rather boggy but the excellent views of Stob Dearg more than made up for that. The scramble was short but sweet and we topped out for some excellent views down into Glen Etive, James Bond’s home in Skyfall.

We ran into two gents on Meall a’Bhuiridh asking about the wind. It was about as bad as it would get on that top. It would be a nasty descent into the saddle but after that they’d be fairly protected. After a quick chat, we carried on down the skislopes and back to the carpark. It was hardly the most interesting circuit, but the weather and lighting made it a standout.

Spectacular early morning light on the approach

First snow of the season on the Ben!

Glen Etive, Jame Bond’s home

Route map for Creise/Stob A’Ghlais Chorie