Stob a'Choire Odhair & Stob Ghabhar, Map 377E &/or 384.
13 May 2006 & 24 September 2010

Route: 1300m = 4280' ascent; 12.8 miles (4 miles on track, 9 miles on hill); 6½–7½ hrs.

Route: As usual for these pages, this route includes the associated two Munro tops, which lie out to the west of the two Munros. They make a very pleasant addition with good views, excellent terrain, and very little extra ascent.
The only disadvantage of this longer route is that the local estate doesn't allow you to walk through Clashgour farm and directs walkers along the rubbishy track beside the Abhainn Shira (Linne nam Beathach) between Clashgour and the green corrugated iron hut at Allt Toaig. Instead, I prefer a diversion to the north of the farm, as in my GPS route. However, the scenery along the Abhainn Shira is much better than that in the Clashgour woods.
In my opinion the ridge is best walked from E to W because of the steep screes ascending Stob Ghabhar, but consider doing the route in reverse if there is strong weather from the SW. My GPS route gives the standard ascent for the screes, but in poor conditions one alternative to them might be to take the ridge north of Coirein Lochain via a gully that rises NE to three tiny lochans at Airse nan Each NN242465.
However, another alternative to those screes which I first used when there was heavy snow on the usual route is to ascend a gully almost at the east end of Aonach Eagach. I will probably always use it in future. After the descent from Stob a'Choire Odhair, cross the Allt Toaig on the flat area near the path at NN24474551. Then ascend diagonally left to the bottom of a convenient buttress around NN24604525. Ascend the buttress with trivial scrambling to the flat ridge near NN24434514. From here it is an easy walk on pleasant terrain to the top of the Couloir Buttress (Aonach Eagach). This diversion off the standard route halves the amount of steep ascent by transferring half to a gentle grassy ridge and replaces loose terrain with firm. These two alternatives are outlined in the GPS route here.
Terrain: There are excellent roads, tracks and paths almost throughout, as well as very friendly vegetation on any higher ground where there are no paths. The only poor stretches are parts of the path along the Linne nam Beathach (if that alternative is chosen), and the screes up to Aonach Eagach are tiresome in the usual way. Overall, this makes for much faster walking than average.
Weather 13/5/06: Sunny, the odd cloud am, 8°C at car initially, rising to 14°C at car finally.
24/9/10: Stiff cold wind, 6–8°C at car, 2°C on tops, sunny, tops clear.
Access: Take minor road to Victoria Bridge from A82 in Bridge of Orchy, turning right on the far side of the bridge after 100m. Use sign-posted parking at Victoria Bridge, ½ mile after Inveroran hotel, before crossing the Abhainn Shira (about 3.5 miles from A82).