Buachaille Etive Beag

Buachaille Etive Beag
Argyllshire
Buachaille Etive Beag
Summit:	3,143 feet NN179535 56°38’16"N, 4°58’15"W

Buachaille Etive Beag is a mountain in Argyllshire, a fell of two major peaks, each of which exceeds 3,000 feet and each of which is distinctive enough to be listed on its own as a Munro. The higher peak, Stob Dubh, stands at 3,143 feet above sea level.

The mountain stands between Glen Coe and Glen Etive, on the edge of Rannoch Moor. Viewed from the south in Glen Etive, it forms a twin with Buachaille Etive Mòr, from which it is separated by a bealach at a height of about 1,570 feet. The mountain is often known affectionately as the "wee Buachaille", which is a literal translation of its Gaelic name.

The name 'Buachaille Etive' means "Herdsman of Etive", hence the neighbouring mountains' names, "Great Herdsman of Etive" (Buachaille Etive Mòr) and "Little Herdsman of Etive" (Buachaille Etive Beag).

Twin peaks

Buachaille Etive Beag has to main summits, each of which is a Munro in its own right:

• Stob Dubh ("Black peak"), 3,143 feet, NN179535
• Stob Coire Raineach ("Peak of Rannoch Corrie"), 3,035 feet, NN191548

Stob Dubh was in Munro's original list as the Munro summit, while Stob Coire Raineach was a 'Munro top'. Stob Coire Raineach became a full Munro in the 1997 revision of Munro's Tables, in which all tops with a topographic prominence of more than 500 feet were promoted to full Munro status.

Geography and ascents

Stob Dubh from Stob Coire Raineach

Stob Coire Raineach

Buachaille Etive Beag forms a ridge about two miles in length that runs in a south-west to north-east direction, topped by the two summits.

The most common route on the mountain starts from the A82 at the head of Glen Coe. A cairn and a sign mark the existence of a right-of-way to Glen Etive, following the through the Lairig Eilde that separates Buachaille Etive Beag from Bidean nam Bian. This route is followed for around one mile, at which point most hillwalkers simply head up the hillside to reach the bealach (pass) between the two summits, which is at a height of around 2,460 feet. From here Stob Coire Raineach lies about 600 yards to the north-east, whilst Stob Dubh is about a mile and a half to the south-west.

After bagging both tops, most walkers simply descend by their route of ascent, but one may also reach (and descend from) the bealach by means of the Lairig Gartain, which separates Buachaille Etive Beag, from its larger sibling, Buachaille Etive Mor.

An alternative route is to start from Glen Etive, thus allowing for a traverse of the ridge. The south-west ridge is unrelentingly steep, and walkers may find themselves stranded in the lonely glen far from the start, looking at the two and a half mile walk back by way of the Lairig Eilde or Lairig Gartain.