Situated some two miles north of Kinlochleven, Stob Coire a'Chairn is the central peak of the Mamores range and thus a pivotal hill in organising routes. As the hub of a group of four with Na Gruagaichean, Am Bodach and An Gearanach, it is very much a peak traversed en route to or from its neighbours. Towards the end of last month, Rhona, Peter and I had such a quadruple outing.
It follows that Stob Coire a'Chairn is very seldom climbed on its own. Yet it serves well as a short outing. After a 200m starting height at Mamore Lodge, a stalkers' path easily leads to the Mamore ridge, south-east of the 981m/3218ft summit. Altho
ugh evidently known to Hugh Munro by name, Stob Coire a'Chairn was unnamed on Victorian maps, though 1920s maps did give a remarkably accurate height of 3,219ft.
This peak of the corrie of the cairn has three short ridges, enclosing the upper reaches of three corries, but to which corrie the name refers seems uncertain. Beneath its summit, steep slopes carry strips of grey scree. Although the peak seems more pointed in snow, it makes a good autumn hill.
The route
The private Tarmac road to Mamore Lodge, on the north side of Loch Leven, leaves the B863 a mile west of Kinlochleven, at map ref 175623.
Take care during the drive up, as passing places are few. Drive – or indeed, why not walk and save the £3 parking charge? – to the lodge, though with its starting height of 200m many would argue that the parking fee is money well spent.
From the lodge, go north-east along the track for half a mile to the bridge over the Allt Coire na Ba; a point also reached by walking from the waterfall in Kinlochleven, following the path on the east bank of the stream.
The stalkers' path heads north into the open Coire na Ba, climbing steadily and easily by the east bank of the stream. With the steep slopes of Stob Coire a'Chairn forming the corrie headwall, the path, with zigzags and graded slopes, really comes into its own. It goes east (and even south for a bit on the western flanks of Na Gruagaichean), before heading north-west to reach the 783m col between Na Gruagaichean and Stob Coire a'Chairn; all with minimal effort.
From the col it is then a straightforward easy walk north-west to the summit cairn, whose central Mamore position makes it a good viewpoint.
The shortest way back is to retrace your steps, but a traverse of upper Corrie na Ba gives more of a horseshoe route. From the summit descend south-west to the col between the hill and Am Bodach. From there you will see the remnants of an unmapped stalkers' path that slants eastwards across the corrie headwall. When the path fades away continue eastwards, with a slight curve to the north, to traverse the upper corrie, thus keeping well away from the ravine of the stream that flows from Am Bodach. Regain the Coire na Ba path at around 550m.
On the slopes of Stob Coire a'Chairn, Rhona, Peter and I happened by chance to bump into my old friend Dave Hewitt, he of The Angry Corrie.
We chatted about matters Munro and the weather before reluctantly having to continue on our respective ways. As Dave said later: "It was good to bump into you and the gang yesterday; not often one encounters a threesome with 14 Munro rounds between them." Old friends indeed – and old footwear. On the way down Peter's lightweight boots surrendered, changing in seconds to little more than a pair of flip-flops. Nevertheless, we got back down without much delay.
After a quick but enjoyable refreshment stop at Mamore Lodge I was on my way home, arriving in good time to watch Strictly Come Dancing.
Alright, we all have our little foibles.
MAPs Ordnance Survey map 41, Ben Nevis, Fort William & Glen Coe
Distance 6 miles
Height 800m
Terrain Track, then stalkers' path all the way to the summit
Start point Mamore Lodge, by Kinlochleven
Time 4 to 5 hours
Nearest village Kinlochleven
Nearest refreshment spot Mamore Lodge, by Kinlochleven
Situated some two miles north of Kinlochleven, Stob Coire a'Chairn is the central peak of the Mamores range and thus a pivotal hill in organising routes. As the hub of a group of four with Na Gruagaichean, Am Bodach and An Gearanach, it is very much a peak traversed en route to or from its neighbours. Towards the end of last month, Rhona, Peter and I had such a quadruple outing.
