At One with the Mountains - An interview with Nick Gardner
Issue 6: Nick Gardner and his wife Janet were living an idyllic life on a croft…
Ben Nevis, the Mamores and the Grey Corries
Stob Ban
A Munro of 1,000 metres, number 137 of the 282.
The hill
Stob Ban stands in the Mamores above Glen Nevis.
At 999.7 metres it is 30 centimetres short of a thousand. It is not to be confused with the Stob Ban of the Grey Corries, a lower hill east of the Nevis Range.
Sgurr a' Mhaim is about two kilometres to the north-east and Mullach nan Coirean under three to the west. The avalanche forecasters have photographed Stob Ban and Mullach nan Coirean side by side.
Jahama Highland Estates, which owns Mamore Estate, writes of the steep, rocky Munros on its ground and the ridges and peaks that link them.
- Starts from
- Glen Nevis. For the way up, follow the route description and the map.
- Summit
- Grid reference NN 147 654
- Car park
- The Highland Council's car park at the end of the Glen Nevis road had 18 spaces at the council's 2024 count. In May 2026 the council approved pay and display there, with no overnight parking between 10pm and 8am. The Lower Falls car park is further down the glen.
- Bus
- Shiel Buses' route 41 stops at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, lower down the glen, but at neither car park. High Life Highland calls it a limited summer service. Check the times with the operator.
- Toilets and food
- The Lower Falls car park has composting toilets, which the council lists as open through the winter. The nearest places to eat that we know are in Fort William.
On the hill today
0° to 4°Rain on the summit, 1,000 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.
West wind to 9 mph, gusting 20
Rain, about 5 mm
Light from 7.54am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Mostly clear−3° to 3° on top · 5 mph, gusts 13
Sun 18Mostly clear−2° to 3° on top · 8 mph, gusts 17
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 5° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15
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 Bàn, the Mamores, Lochaber 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 Damian Kurczyk, James Caven, Ian Parkinson and Zoltan Gergi, 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 147 654
- 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
Nobody has written from Stob Ban yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.
Tell the next person
Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.
Read more elsewhere
For the route itself, take the map and read these.
- The Munros on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with maps. Of the two hills it lists as Stob Ban, this is the one in the Mamores, above Glen Neviswalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Glen Nevis walks, by High Life HighlandThe Ben Nevis Visitor Centre on the paths of the glen, the Steall gorge among themhighlifehighland.comThe glen↗
- Ben Nevis, by the John Muir TrustThe John Muir Trust's Nevis ground and the Steall gorge path it keeps. Its leaflet map is not meant for navigationjohnmuirtrust.orgThe keepers↗
- Lochaber car parking charges approvedThe Highland Council's decision of May 2026 to charge for parking at the Glen Nevis road endhighland.gov.ukParking↗
- West Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's West Highlands forecast, three days ahead from its forecasters, for the area that takes in Ben Nevis and Glencoemwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Stob Bàn, the MamoresThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a model for one point, not a report from the hill. The Met Office lists it as Stob Ban (Mamores)weather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Lochaber avalanche forecastThe Lochaber avalanche forecast, from 17 December 2026 or sooner if winter comes early. Its area names the Aonach Mor range, Ben Nevis and the Grey Corries but not the Mamores, and snow brings the risk here all the samesais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
- John Muir Trust newsThe John Muir Trust's news, where it posts closures of the Steall gorge path in upper Glen Nevisjohnmuirtrust.orgNotices↗
Sleep and eat at its foot
Woodlands Glencoe
Stay: Across Loch Leven, about seven miles from the summit as the crow flies…
The Wildcat
Café: In Fort William, about six miles from the summit as the crow flies
Lime Tree Hotel
Eat: In Fort William, about six miles from the summit as the crow flies
Crannog at Garrison West
Eat: In Fort William, about six miles from the summit as the crow flies
Next along: Sgurr a' Mhaim, Mullach nan Coirean, Am Bodach, Stob Coire a' Chairn. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Highland Council's, the John Muir Trust's, Shiel Buses' and High Life Highland's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service'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.