If memory serves me, I last was atop Stob Binnein in 2003, my one and only visit. I’d climbed it from the north along with Ben More, a tricky ascent as we had come without winter gear and met a patch of hardened snow on the ascent, which saw us inching forward using the point of a walking pole to dig in to a small band of hardened snow. The rest of the route was much more straightforward, though it’s relentless ascent does deserve it’s “masochist’s route” title. Out of breath after a long descent and reascent we gained the summit to be greeted by an elderly tweed jacketed gentleman and his terrier “out for a wee walk”.
Me, March 2003, north side of Ben More
A few years later I returned to Ben More leading a group of Canadian tourists who were visiting Scotland and wanted to climb a Munro.  It was the 31st May and they were treated to wind, rain, sunshine and snow. We didn’t manage to go on to Stob Binnein on that day, but they left delighted at what they had achieved.
And so it was that a few weeks back I found that I had a day off and Glasgow HF were doing an “easy pace” ascent of Stob Binnein. Put me down for that I thought. I haven’t been attending HF walks regularly for some time now. I stopped attending when I first developed knee trouble, and since then there have been (to my mind) some great improvements in the way the club organises its walks. Since time immemorial the club had published two programmes per year (summer and winter) and members would turn up in Glasgow at a pre-arranged meeting point where they would see how many walkers there were, how many cars there were, and try to get everyone to the walk. Sometimes there were a group of walkers but no-one with a car. Sometimes there would be a leader, a car, and no one turning up (often if the weather was particularly bad). Plans were hard to change and even if the leader decided that the walk would be cancelled they had to travel into Glasgow in person to inform anyone who turned up that the walk was off. In recent years the club has adopted the Meetup system which allows the programme to be published online, it allows people to reserve a place, organise cars, and if necessary cancel or amend a walk right up to the last minute. To my mind a vastly superior system, as to me there was nothing more depressing than making my way into Glasgow on a pissing wet morning to find no-one waiting.
So flexible is the system, we picked up a new addition the night before. Paul was staying in Strathyre and while searching online for routes came across our walk and I was able to pick him up for the last leg of the journey to Inverlochlarig where I was meeting up with the rest of the club. Jeannie was leading and this was to be a reasonably paced ascent, which for me was ideal.
The initial ascent is steep and direct (and on this day rather wet), and after crossing a rough outcrop it eventually gives way to a pleasant ascent with a view all the way to the summit. Just because you can see the top doesn’t mean it’s without surprises, and there are a few hidden treasures and hazards along the way.
Lochs Doine and Voil can be seen along with Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin
As the route narrows to a more defined ridge there is a rather sharp drop off to the western side of the path and in poor visibility this could easily be walked off, so careful navigation is a must. There’s also a few tiny lochans hidden along the route and these do catch the eye, and the camera!
The ridge has a number of tiny lochans along it.
Looking around on such a clear day I can see that there are a number of options for routes here, and the one which seems most appealing is to cross to Meal na Dige and descend via Am Mam and back to Inverllochlarig, perhaps one for a longer day in summer. Tied in with an ascent of Ben More, it would make for a full and varied round. One for later perhaps…
After a short final steep ascent we were atop Stob Binnein, 1165m above sea level. To the immediate north, Ben More. Not on our to do list today, an ascent from this side appears a more pleasant prospect than from the Crianlarich side.
We dropped off the summit out of the worst of the wind and I fired up the stove to grab lunch. We could pick out distant hills, and the usual topic of what’s that hill over there was engaged in. From Meikle Bin to Jura; across to Loch Tay and Killin; the views were breathtaking. I looked around and saw so may hills, many of which I have visited. It was a renewal of old acquaintances.
Ben More, from the summit of Stob Binnein
The descent was a simple reversal of the ascent, no great difficulties were encountered and with the weather having dried off the going underfoot was easier and I found I was descending quickly and confidently. For a while though the car park seemed to remain defiantly distant below us, before finally surrendering to our efforts and we managed to get in to the cars before the rain made a brief return. Hopefully I’ll make a return too, as that alternative descent route looks too good to resist. Perhaps next summer…
Descending the ridge
Strava Route Log
The Airdrie Rambler 