Walk of the week: Stob a’Choire Odhair

STOB a’Choire Odhair, peak of the brownish-grey corrie (945m/3,100ft), lies west of the A82, where the road starts to rise from Bridge of Orchy to Rannoch Moor.

Often climbed in summer with neighbouring Stob Ghabhar, during winter/spring Stob a’Choire Odhair comes into its own as a solo hill.

My favourite route is from the West Highland Way via the rock-spattered broad north-east ridge of the 834m minor top, Beinn Toaig, with its pinkish outcrops of rock near the summit, then north-west over roughish bouldery ground. However, on this occasion Rhona, 
Peter and I opted for the easier and shorter popular route – a track from Victoria Bridge, then a stalkers’ path that leads almost to the stony summit.

Coire Odhair lies east of the summit and north of Beinn Toaig, the more obvious hill on the Victoria Bridge approach. So it is not surprising that Toaig also makes an appearance in naming the western corrie and river, Coire Toaig and the Allt Toaig.

The no-charge, voluntary or otherwise, car park, map ref 271419, is near the end of the A8005, the road from Bridge of Orchy to Victoria Bridge. On our day there was a small sign – please support Oban Mountain Rescue Team – contact 01631 565325. The team provides search and rescue for an area covering the north-west of Argyll from Bridge of Orchy to Campbeltown and the islands, including Mull and Jura.