Walk on the wild side: A hill's not a hill – it changes with every season

Published on Wednesday 11 March 2009 14:18

STOB A' CHOIRE Odhair lies west of the A82, where the road starts to rise from Bridge of Orchy to Rannoch Moor. I last wrote about and climbed it in October 2005 yet here am I describing a return earlier this year to the same hill.

Every return to a hill is unique – different route, time of year, weather or company. Even just one of these factors will make the outing seem so new.

My route this time was not from the east but by the popular southern approach; a February ascent is quite unlike one in October and the weather was much colder. Lastly, unlike my previous solo visit, this time I had company in the shape of Jimbo and John.

All hills have their place in the scheme of things. Often climbed as a pair in summer with neighbouring Stob Ghabhar, during winter months Stob a' Choire Odhair comes into its own as a solo hill. Normally a short and easy outing using the popular route, the climb to the top is straightforward: a track from Victoria Bridge at a starting height of nearly 200m, then a hillside stalkers' path that leads to the stony summit area. If blessed with good weather, it is then an easy step to the 945m/3,100ft summit cairn.

Coire Odhair (odhair, or odhar, means a brownish-grey colour) lies east of the summit and bounding the corrie to the south is an 834m minor top, Beinn Toaig. When climbing from Victoria Bridge it is Beinn Toaig that is the more obvious, so it is not surprising that Toaig also makes an appearance on maps in naming the western corrie and river, Coire Toaig and the Allt Toaig.

You will need Ordnance Survey 50. Drive to the car park, at map ref 271419, near the end of the A8005, the road from Bridge of Orchy to Victoria Bridge. The car park is a vast improvement on the old verge-side congested parking, with a notice board welcoming visitors and no parking charge. The car park itself is not actually at Victoria Bridge, but just to the south.

Follow a little path beside the trees to join the road. Walk over Victoria Bridge and the Abhainn Shira and, just before Forest Lodge, follow the gravel track heading west on the north bank of the Abhainn Shira. It is one mile to a small green hut, once a schoolhouse but now used as a climbing hut by the Glasgow University Mountaineering Club.

Just a few yards beyond the hut, a stalkers' path goes north by the Allt Toaig into Coire Toaig, with impressive views of Stob Ghabhar to the north-west and of various waterslides. With much of the original surface now washed away, the path can be wet at times, but it still gives quick walking.

The path crosses a stream at map ref 253446, the Allt Caolain Duibh, that flows south-west from the area between Stob a' Choire Odhair and Beinn Toaig. It is usually very easy to cross, but in spate conditions the burn may be something of an ambush in that it does not look much on the map.

Once over, follow a worn path that eventually leads to a stalkers' path, inexplicably not shown on my Landranger map, but clearly drawn on the Explorer. It goes NNE, easily ascending the bulk of the final 500m to be climbed. Only the last short stretch of the whole walk is not pathed. The stony ground is partially avoided by using a curving grassy route to the west.

On descent it is important to find the start of the stalkers' path between the crags on the north-east side of Coire Toaig and the ravine of the Allt Caolain Duibh.

I mentioned that my companions were Jimbo and John – and despite having to navigate to the summit, hence sadly avoiding views over Rannoch Moor and its lochans, rivers and peat hags, we all had a short but enjoyable outing. For John, the enthusiastic newcomer, this was his first visit. He was gently teased for the lightness of his rucksack and to make the point I suggested that we swap rucksacks. That slightly improved my rate of ascent, but most annoyingly my heavier, more-replete-for-winter rucksack made no difference to John's climbing speed.

Factfile

Map Ordnance Survey map 50, Glen Orchy & Loch Etive

Distance 7 miles

Height 750m

Terrain Track, then stalkers' path leading to stony summit

Start point Car park near end of Bridge of Orchy to Victoria Bridge road (A8005), map ref 271419

Time 4 to 5 hours

Nearest village Bridge of Orchy

Nearest refreshment spot Inveroran Hotel or Bridge of Orchy Hotel