Sar Lou Adventures

Winter Mountain Hiking Skills Course – Stob Dubh (Buachaille Etive Beag) and Meall a’ Bhruiridh, Glencoe

I spent the weekend in Scotland with Mountain Leader Gemma of GEMM.UK, in the beautiful surrounds of Fort William and Glencoe for a Winter Mountain Hiking Skills course. Hosted by Ray of Sun Adventures, the retreat was pitched as a beginner friendly group aimed at giving us the skills and knowledge to safely and confidently go out into the mountains and in full winter conditions.

Heading up towards our base of Onich and Fort William, I followed the West Highland Way through the vast wilds of western Scotland. Having decided to take my trusty Sony A7 IV and lenses with me, I ended up stopping frequently for photos and videos which mean that what would have been a typical 7 hours drive from Lichfield took more like 9 and included a stop over in Glasgow!

Staying in a combination of Premier Inns and the stunning guest house which was to be our base, Camus House in Onich, I was surrounded by absolutely awe inspiring landscapes wherever you looked. The hosts of Camus House, Gregor and Emily, made us immediately feel welcomed and at home, with nothing feeling too much trouble for them to make us comfortable and relaxed. The House is set in an absolutely stunning location on the loch overlooking nearby mountains and perfectly situated to watch the sun set after a long day on the trail. With little touches such as being able to dry gear, boot dryers, electric blankets and plenty of toiletries it really did feel like the perfect home away from home for anyone looking to explore the area.
I wouldn’t hesitate to stay again or recommend to anyone visiting Glencoe or Fort William.

Having never been to this part of the world before, I found it impossible to try and fit in everything I wanted to do and see, despite ending up staying for two extra days on top of the retreat.

Day 1 – Stob Dubh (Buachaille Etive Beag Ridge- 750m)

With expert guidance from Gemma we were taught on the first night about the safety, clothing/gear considerations, different snow conditions, how to use trekking poles as a safety tool along with the use of ice axes in winter terrain. For our first outing, we headed up the Buachaille Etive Beag the following morning, reaching the snow line at around 600m and the ridge cairn sitting between two munros, Stob Dubh and Stob Coire Raineach.

The Scottish Gaelic can be a bit confusing to get a newbie head around, so Google was definitely our friend for the weekend.

Buachaille means herdsman or shepherd
Etive refers to Glen Etive (the valley itself in the Glen Nevis range)
Beag means small or little

So Buachaille Etive Beag literally translates to “The Little Herdsman of Etive.”

Apparently it’s called that because it’s the smaller neighbour of the much more famous Buachaille Etive Mòr, which means “The Big Herdsman of Etive”. Together they’re like two rocky guardians watching over Glen Etive. I love the Scottish Gaelic storytelling through names, and it’s fascinating to learn the origins of the place names and ranges.

Although we didn’t reach either official ‘summit’, making the ridgeline cairn in very challenging conditions while learning such valuable new skills was still a huge achievement and we all worked hard for it in our first experience of full winter conditions on the mountain. We faced deep snow, changing snow and ice packs, driving icy winds and real exposure to the full force of nature as we approached the ridgeline. We also unfortunately got our first experience of graupel! Ouch.

Day 2 – Meall a Bhruiridh summit (Munro 1108m/3635ft)

For our final day of our weekend Winter Mountain Hiking skills course retreat, we visited the stunning Glencoe Mountain Resort, which in winter is a thriving ski resort. Our trek was going to involve the ascent of Meall a Bhruiridh, a munro at 1108m where we were going to put our newfound winter skills to the test, while also learning some new ones.
Taking the ski lift, we passed gorgeous waterfalls while ascending up into the clouds, taking us up to the snowline where we could make the rest of the trek on foot to really make the most of our new skills.
It wasn’t long before we were donning our crampons and making our way up steep icy slopes towards the summit, shrouded in a white out and looking otherwordly covered in ice.

Final thoughts on the experience

The course was my first time in the Highlands and the mountains, so it was particularly eye opening for me in how much you can achieve with the right support, motivation and guidance. Especially as a previously solo hiking woman having newly entered her 40s, the male dominated outdoor space of uber competitiveness, pace and risk taking wasn’t something that appealed to me at all. Being able to join a weekend retreat with a group of other women, run by extremely supportive, motivational and knowledgeable women was a wonderful experience which has given me confidence, skills and the mindset to tackle previously unimaginable things.