Buachaille Etive Beag is the wonderful little sister of its neighbour, the mighty and justly famous Buachaille Etive Mor. The 'Wee Buachaille' has the great benefit of sitting tightly between Buachaille Etive Mor and Bidean nam Bian, so gives superb views of both sets of hills. It has two summits, both of which are Munros, one at either end of a narrow ridge. It's also a relatively straightforward ascent to gain the bealach between the two, and from there nip up one, the other, or both Munros, giving a lot of bang for your buck.
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1
NN1879056237 From the western end of the car park a good path heads to the left, up the valley of the Lairig Eilde. After 600m you'll reach a junction of paths on a vague spur, with the path to the right going down to the river, and the one to the left going uphill.
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NN1842555839 Turn left at the junction, and follow the well-made path as it climbs diagonally up the hill. You'll cross a burn, and here you'll find that the path is badly eroded due to water action. Keep on the path as it takes you now more steeply up to the col between the two Munros, the Mam Buidhe.
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NN1875254488 On the Mam Buidhe you'll see the rocky cone of Stob Coire Raineach rising to the left as you approach. There is a path up the screes lower down, which becomes more solid and rocky as you gain height. The going is relatively straightforward, and you'll soon find yourself reaching the summit cairn on the first Munro of the walk. The views across to the Aonach Eagach are impressive from here.4
NN1913054811 Return back to the Mam Buidhe via the same route, then head up an easy path along a grassy ridge. The route gets quite steep as you approach the first minor top at 902m, and you then follow a narrow but easy ridge over another knoll and down into a col at 880m. The summit lies not far ahead, up the crest of a lovely curving ridge with the cairn right at the top.
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NN1791153540 To return to your car head back the same way to the Mam Buidhe, then follow the eroded path down to the left, the same way that you came up.
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Difficulty: ModerateDistance: 4.87 miles (7.84 km)
Total ascent: 854m
Time: 4 – 5 hours (Walking)
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Additional Information
Start/Finish:A large car park just east of The Study on the A82. It can be very busy at weekends, NN187562
Nearest town:
Fort William
Terrain:
A good path leads up the glen, and then up the flank of the mountain, taking you to the bealach. The path up to the bealach is a man-made trail, although this is badly eroded in one or two places. Rocky ground leads to the summit of Stob Coire Raineach, while a narrow ridge leads the other way to the summit of Stob Dubh.
Seasonal variations:
The walk is doable at any time of year, but obviously in winter it requires an ice axe and crampons, and you need the skills to use them, especially on the narrow ridge leading to Stob Dubh which can be corniced in places.
Weather and Hill Conditions: mwis: Northwest Highlands – Met Office: West Highlands
Guidebooks:
The SMC guidebook to The Munros https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/product/the-munros-smc/
Maps:
OS Explorer 384 (1:25,000), Harvey/BMC Ben Nevis (1:40,000), OS Landranger 41 (1:50,000) Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route Tourist info:
Ballachulish (08452 255 121); Fort William (0845 22 55 121)
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