Mullach nan Coirean and most of Stob Bàn

Part 2 of the trip Glencoe 2018. Go to part 1. Part of my Scottish winter series.

For our final day in Glencoe we decided to explore the Mamores. We would ascend Mullach nan Coirean from the parking lot in Glen Nevis, and follow the ridge south-east towards Stob Bàn. We’d then Descend the north ridge of Stob Bàn to get back to the car.

For once we had relatively little wind and comfortable temperatures. But we’d chosen a route with lots of fresh untrodden snow. The ascent was slow and arduous - foot after foot of soft powder.

Near the summit of Mullach nan Coirean we separated briefly to get some long shots of each other - good fun with the ridges between us.

I think this is the first hike we’ve done where the winds dropped enough to hear each other easily. On the plateau summit of Mullach nan Coirean the ground was rimmed up and crunchy.

The summit of Stob Bàn is about 90m up from this point - but by now Chris and I were exhausted, and the weather was turning. We couldn’t see the summit, and didn’t fancy ascending to a peak in fog. We decided to head home.

The descent turned out to be more adventurous than we’d expected. In retrospect I expect most people ascend the north ridge, not descend it. Really tricky going in powdery snow and such steep steps. Chris was braver than I in continuing to take photos whilst we went down.

This last photo is from the next day and our return drive back to Inverness. So much of the countryside is simply stunning and demands you stop for a bit.

Part 2 of the trip Glencoe 2018. Go to part 1. Part of my Scottish winter series. Shot in Glencoe.