Stob Coire Sgriodain – Up the North Ridge Above Loch Treig

The walk

The usual way up Stob Coire Sgriodain starts at Fersit, at the end of the Loch Treig road, and climbs the hill's north ridge over Sron na Garbh-bheinne. By our map it is about 10 km (6 miles) there and back, with about 750 metres of climb. Allow about 4 to 5 hours, more with stops, in poor weather or under snow, and leave plenty of daylight for the way down. The summit is 979 metres up. The moor below the ridge is wet and the path over it faint, and the ridge itself is steep and rocky.

Stob Coire Sgriodain stands above the east shore of Loch Treig, one of the two Munros on that side of the loch. Most walkers join it to Chno Dearg, about two kilometres further east, in a round from Fersit. This walk goes up the north ridge to the summit and back, and no further. Corrour Estate counts both hills among its Munros and calls stalking a vital part of its habitat management, so follow any signs on the day.

The Loch Treig road leaves the A86 about 13 km east of Spean Bridge and runs south for about 6 km to Fersit, the guides say. By our map it is one lane wide. Park at the road's end, just before the houses, where one guide finds ample room beside the rubbish and recycling bins. Do not count on a toilet, a shop, fuel or a phone signal near the hill.

Before you set off, check the mountain forecast, and under snow the snow and avalanche conditions too, as Mountaineering Scotland advises for every trip. Even on a clear summer day it is often much colder and windier on the hill than below, Forestry and Land Scotland warns. Wear good walking boots and carry warm, waterproof clothing, plenty of food and drink, and a torch in case the day runs long. Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, and do not rely only on a phone or GPS: one guide rates the navigation here demanding.

From the parking, walk east down the track and over the River Treig and the railway by their bridges. Go through the gate and on past the houses and the farm. One walker tells of cattle roaming the fields beyond the farm: give them a wide berth. About a kilometre from the start, where the track bends, a path leaves it and heads south over the moor, by our map. It is faint in places, and the ground is wet and tussocky, so expect to pick your way between the boggy patches.

After nearly 2 km of moor the path reaches the foot of the north ridge. By our map it crosses a small burn, the Allt Fhearghais, near here, with no bridge. Burns can rise fast in a day, so after heavy rain turn back if the crossing looks unsafe. Then the climb begins in earnest, up the steep, rocky nose of Sron na Garbh-bheinne. There are crags on the way up, which can generally be bypassed, one guide says, and there are false tops before the summit.

The last few hundred metres run along the ridge above Coire Sgriodain, whose crags fall steeply to Loch Treig. Keep well back from the edge, above all in wind or cloud. The summit is 979 metres, with a small cairn and the Easains across the loch.

Out on the hill there are no waymarks or signposts, and paths are not always easy to follow. If the cloud is coming down, the wind is rising or anyone is tiring, turn back: Forestry and Land Scotland asks walkers to turn back if they get tired. Under snow it is a winter mountain, and no avalanche forecast covers it. The Lochaber avalanche forecasters have called the hills east of Loch Treig "no man's land", between their two areas. Having no forecast does not mean there is no risk.

The way down is the way you came: back along the ridge, down the nose with care, over the moor and through Fersit to the road. In cloud take a bearing for the north ridge from the summit, because the path also runs on south towards Chno Dearg. The round over Chno Dearg is a longer day, and not this walk. In an emergency dial 999, ask for the police and then for mountain rescue, Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team says: its ground runs east to Corrour.