Dinner-time Buttress

Date: 21/02/2011
Area: Glen Coe, Scotland
Maps Used: OS Sheet 41
Weather: Misty, dry, strong winds, 1ft+ of snow

The dinner-time buttress is an easy grade II route on the west face of Aonach Dubh in Glen Coe. Actually this is most likely the easier route on the west face, which has some other quite interesting routes up to Stob Coire nan Lochan if somebody is looking for a long and challenging day (look for number three, four, five and six gullies). We started from just after the bridge at NN138567, walking towards the house (to the right of it) and then following south-southeast along the stream for about 300m. Eventually the way up the buttress becomes obvious, with the watercourse that forms number 2 gully growing deeper on your right. There's a section involving some scrambling over rocky terrain, and then we opted for a short chimney which required a proper pitch. After that is all easy scrambling towards the north shoulder of Stob Coire nan Lochan. We descended northeast via Coire nan Lochan and eventually took a lift back to the car.

Duration: 4 hours
Distance: 4.5km
Total Ascent: 900m

The Zig-Zags

Date: 19/02/2011
Area: Glen Coe, Scotland
Maps Used: OS Sheet 41
Weather: Misty, light drizzle at times, 1ft+ of snow

The idea this time was to climb in the Glen Coe area, so we headed to a route up Gearr Aonach via an easy route called the "Zig-Zags". Started from the car park at NN168569, then climbed southeast towards the waterfall. From around NN173562, turned southwest until finding the beginning of the track. From the end of the track, it's a 3-pitch grade I climb with great views of Glen Coe. After reaching the summit of Gearr Aonach (692m), continued southwest towards the three-lake plateau. Descended via the Coire nan Lochan.

Duration: 5 hours
Distance: 6km
Total Ascent: 790m

Stob Coire nan Lochan

Date: 19/02/2010
Area: Stob Coire nan Lochan, Scotland
Maps used: OS Sheet 41
Weather: Very cold, sunny most of the time, 1ft+ of snow

Route Description: Started from the car park below the Three Sisters in Glen Coe (NN168569). Followed the trail up Coire Nan Lochan (southwest), which was very icy from as low as 500m. About 250m before reaching the three lakes in the plateau, took a left turn (south) towards the east ridge of Stob Coire nan Lochan. Climbed the ridge from east to west until reaching the summit at 1,115m. Descended via the other side, moving northwest and then north, clockwise along the winding west ridge, until reaching the three lakes plateau again. Descended back to the car park via the Coire nan Lochan trail.

This is an easy climb but still very pleasant. I would like to go back and attempt some of the classic routes on the north face of Stob Coire nan Lochan, like Boomerang Gully, Twisting Gully or SC Gully (see "Winter Climbs Ben Nevis and Glen Coe", from Cicerone).

Duration: 6 hours
Distance: 7.8km
Total Ascent: 915m