Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Stob Daimh and the snow-streaked ridge beside it, above a glen of bare trees.
Ben Cruachan

Stob Daimh

A Munro of 999 metres, number 140 of the 282.

Photograph by Graham Grinner Lewis (CC BY 2.0)

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Stob Daimh is the neighbouring peak to Ben Cruachan in Argyll, about two and a half kilometres to its east.

The two hills stand round the Cruachan reservoir, above Loch Awe.

At 999.2 metres it is 80 centimetres short of a thousand. Beinn a' Chochuill is about two and a half kilometres to the north-east.

Drax, which owns and runs the Cruachan power station and its dam, spells the hill Stob Diamh, and so does the Met Office.

Drax gives this hill only as part of a round: from Ben Cruachan, a ridge walk to the neighbouring peak of Stob Diamh makes a circle of the Cruachan reservoir. It grades the round hard, on steep and rocky paths with some scrambling, and the way down is a grassy slope that can be boggy.

Distance and time
Drax gives 8.5 miles and seven to nine hours for the round of the reservoir over Ben Cruachan and this hill together, and grades it hard.
The path to the dam
Drax's steep path to the dam begins at Falls of Cruachan station, 200 metres along the road from the Cruachan Visitor Centre on the A85, and climbs 400 metres. The hills are still above you there.
The dam
Drax owns and runs the power station and the dam.
Summit
Grid reference NN 094 308
Parking
In 2026, Drax's free car park at the Cruachan Visitor Centre is for visitors to the centre. The centre is shut on Saturdays and Sundays, and from 18 December 2026 to 1 February 2027.
Train and bus
Falls of Cruachan station, on the Glasgow to Oban line, is 200 metres from the visitor centre, and the centre is on Glasgow to Oban bus routes. Check with ScotRail and Citylink which services stop, and when, the day before.
The dam road and food
From Lochawe village a three-mile road runs to the dam. It is gated against cars, with a foot gate beside it, and parking there is very limited. The Hollow Mountain Cafe at the visitor centre opens Monday to Friday, until 2.45pm.
On the hill today
1° to 3°Rain on the summit, 999 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

North-west wind to 13 mph, gusting 27
Rain, about 6 mm
Light from 7.53am to 6.17pm, ten hours

Sat 17Mostly clear−2° to 3° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15
Sun 18Clear−3° to 3° on top · 10 mph, gusts 19
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 6° on top · 7 mph, gusts 17

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 Daimh, No avalanche forecast names this hill.

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.

Photograph by Graham Grinner Lewis (CC BY 2.0)

Hillwalking essentials, including sturdy boots, a map, compass, torch, whistle and warm, waterproof clothing are all a must for safety on Cruachan as the weather is unpredictable - even in the height of summer.Drax, which owns the power station and the dam
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 094 308
  • 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 Daimh 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.

Sign in to tell them
From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

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

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Beinn a' Chochuill, Ben Cruachan, Beinn Eunaich, Beinn nan Aighenan. Checked on 10 October 2026. The figures and the paths on this page are Drax's, which owns the power station and the dam; 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.