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A steep pyramid of a summit rising beyond stony ground on the ridge, with hazy hills behind.
Glen Coe and Glen Etive

Buachaille Etive Beag - Stob Coire Raineach

A Munro of 925 metres, number 264 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Stob Coire Raineach is the northern of the two Munros on Buachaille Etive Beag, the top nearest the A82 at the head of Glen Coe.

It is the lower of the pair, and its partner, Stob Dubh, is about two kilometres to the south-west.

Buachaille Etive Mor is its close neighbour, with Stob na Broige about two kilometres to the south and Stob Dearg about three kilometres to the east.

Below it runs the Lairig Eilde, the pass through to Glen Etive, which ScotWays describes as rugged mountain country with huge screes of rock on both sides. A coffin cairn stands at its north end, and ScotWays takes that as a sign the old path was a coffin road.

The way up
Read the route before you go.
The pass below
ScotWays, the rights of way society, records the Lairig Eilde path from a signposted start on the A82 at grid reference NN 188 563. It runs 5.5 km through the pass to Dalness, rising to 500 m, on National Trust for Scotland land. It is the path through the pass, not the way to the summit.
Under snow
In the winter of 2010, the avalanche service records, a large natural avalanche swept across the path up to the Buachaille Etive Beag col. Nobody was on that stretch at the time.
Summit
Grid reference NN 191 547
Parking
Read where walkers leave the road in the route description.
Bus
Shiel Buses' route 44 between Fort William and Kinlochleven stops at Glencoe.
On the hill today
1° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 925 m. Feels like −2° in the wind.

West wind to 14 mph, gusting 31
Rain, about 5 mm
Light from 7.53am to 6.16pm, ten hours

Sat 17Some cloud0° to 5° on top · 5 mph, gusts 12
Sun 18Mostly clear−3° to 5° on top · 6 mph, gusts 13
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 6° on top · 8 mph, gusts 16

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: West Highlands forecast, Stob Coire Raineach, Glencoe avalanche forecast.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Photographs by Neil Purves, Craig and Alexander Lonnie, via Google

Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 191 547
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Buachaille Etive Beag - Stob Dubh, Buachaille Etive Mor - Stob na Broige, Buachaille Etive Mor - Stob Dearg, Stob Coire Sgreamhach. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are ScotWays', the National Trust for Scotland's, Shiel Buses' and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's, which also gives the avalanche forecast; the weather forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.