Ben More and Stob Binnein Walking

Ben More and Stob Binnein are a matched pair, suggestive grassy cones separated by a high cleavage-like bealach. These twins are giants of the Southern Highlands - go south from here and there's no higher ground in Britain. They are probably most often done from Benmore Farm, but the longer and more interesting circuit of Coire Chaorach is described here.

Stob Binnein from Stob Coire an Lochain  © Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com
Stob Binnein from Stob Coire an Lochain
Fetching Map

Detailed description

1
NN4547327571 From the layby an obvious path climbs a bank. Step over a fence and continue across open ground to a gate leading onto a forestry track. Follow this track into a plantation. Look out on the left for a grassy turnoff signed 'open hill access'. This climbs through dense forestry and felled areas, passing some waterfalls on the Allt Coire Chaorach, to eventually bisect a wider forest track (nb. you can also reach this point via the vehicle track network, which is more extensive than the map suggests). Cross the wide track and continue uphill quite steeply on the walker's trail, which is again signed. The path soon levels out, crossing the Allt Coire Chlach to reach the forest edge by another burn. A quad trail continues over boggy moorland to a ladder stile over a deer fence.

2
NN4577825075 Cross the stile and turn right, shadowing the fence uphill across rough waterlogged ground where the path becomes intermittent. Cross a vague corrie to gain the knobbly northeast ridge of Ben More, Sron nam Forsairean. Leave the fence and follow the ridge crest, an attractive well-defined line that surely has to be the most enjoyable route up Ben More. There's a trail to follow until it fizzles away on the broader upper slopes. The summit trig point sits on the edge of some rocks a little south of an obvious cairn.

3
NN4327124454 Head south for the much more heavily used (ie eroded) path down to the Bealach-eadar dha Bheinn, which separates the twins. Continue up the north flank of Stob Binnein, quite a grind. This is the more shapely of the two hills, and a superb viewpoint (when you eventually get there).

4
NN4348022753 Descend south on a clear path, where another nice grassy ridge leads to the minor summit of Stob Coire an Lochain. If it's misty you'll know you've got here when you see a cairn next to a little pool. Now head east, where a less well-trodden path cuts diagonally across the steep hillside of Coire an Lochain onto the easier angled east spur. Descend this onto a saddle, passing a pool and following a stretch of dilapidated stone wall for a while. The path is generally visible as it skirts just left of a minor top and cuts up through a band of rocks to the cairn on the summit of Meall na Dige - but after that things get less obvious underfoot.

5
NN4507022627 With its knobbles, hollows and scattered rocks the next stage is fairly confusing in poor visibility. A rough path-free descent northeast leads to the Bealach na Frithe, then it's more rough stuff passing over Stob Creagach. Descent can be made into Coire Chaorach at more or less any point (there are just one or two minor outcrops to watch out for) but since the floor of the corrie is very boggy it's worth holding off for a while after Stob Creagach before trending left into the lower reaches of the glen. Hop over the Allt Coire Chaorach (with care if the water level is high), then head over the bogs to the stile at stage 2.

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Further Routes

by Dan Bailey UKH



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