Making A Day Of It
Tackling the five Glen Etive Munros in an eight-hour hike
Fiona Russell tackles the five Glen Etive Munros in eight hours
STUDYING the route of five Munros in Glen Etive – in the Glencoe area of the Scottish Highlands – on our map, I could see it would be a big day out. With a sea level start, a total ascent of 2560m (8400ft) and a walk of 25km (15.5 miles), it would be tough.
Even my husband Gordon – who usually mutters about it being “a bit of a cinch” – said, “It’s going to be challenging, with lots and lots of up and downs.”
He had previously hiked the five mountains, but as two one-day outings, although many people are likely to split the five peaks into three or four trips.
After a night in Fern the campervan, we set off at the north-east end of Loch Etive. Almost immediately, we had a stiff climb. The mountain of Ben Starav loomed ahead, a magnificent yet ominous bulk of rock that would take us to the highest point of the route.
The angle of the narrow, rocky path didn’t allow for a warm-up – at around 600m there was a slight easing, though it was bouldery.
Thinking of the many miles ahead, we rarely stopped to catch our breath, yet when we did we were rewarded with superb views back along Glen Etive.
Until we reached around 800m elevation, the sun shone in a bright blue sky and we thought the weather forecast was somehow wildly wrong. Of course, it wasn’t.
Making a final climb to the 1078m (3537ft) summit along an undulating ridge of rocks, we were suddenly surrounded by thick clouds. Sadly, there was no view from the top and, for the next few hours, the clouds came and went. The next summit, Beinn nan Aighenan, is a relatively remote peak and many people bag it on its own. Instead, we detoured from the ridge, south for a distance of some 4km (2.5 miles), to the 960m (3150ft) peak.
This section required a descent to a low point of around 600m before climbing again. We enjoyed several cloud-free views and were able to drop our rucksacks at the bealach because we would be retracing our steps. Thick mist again surrounded us as we ascended and, out of nowhere, three men approached us. They told us
they planned to walk four of the five Munros and had, perhaps sensibly in retrospect, missed out Starav.
A small cairn on slabby rocks marked the top and we didn’t wait around because it was wet and cold.
Back at the bealach, the clouds made visibility tricky and for several tense minutes we struggled to find our packs. Thankfully, their bright colours jumped out in a patch of faded mist – and we carried on to Munro three.
Glas Bheinn Mhor seemed easier after the first two mountains – at first, we mistook a waymarker cairn for the top. It was only when we checked our watches for an altitude reading that we knew we weren’t there – 20 minutes more took us to the summit at 997m (3271ft).
At this stage, we knew it was important to take the right bearing to reach Munro four. We spent time looking at the map and working out the best line.
We considered, too, the option to cut the long walk short, returning to Glen Etive and leaving Stob Coir’an Albannaich and Meall nan Eun for another day. These two Munros often provide the focus of a day’s hike, especially for walkers escaping the busier Glencoe peaks – but Gordon and I relish a challenge, so we kept going.
Through a gap in the clouds, we could see the hulk of Stob Coir’an Albannaich. The corries north and south can be tricky to navigate so we frequently reassessed our bearing. Rising to 1044m (3425ft), it was a beast of a hill
“Rewarded with superb views back Etive” along Glen