Buachaille Etive Mòr

Buachaille Etive Mòr (Scottish Gaelic: Buachaille Èite Mòr, meaning "the herdsman of Etive"), generally known to climbers simply as The Buachaille, is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland. Its pyramidal form, as seen from the A82 road when travelling towards Glen Coe, makes it one of the most recognisable mountains in Scotland, and one of the most depicted on postcards and calendars.

Buachaille Etive Mòr
Stob Dearg
Stob Dearg from Glen Etive
Highest point
Elevation1,021.4 m (3,351 ft) [1]
Prominence532 m (1,745 ft)
Parent peakBidean nam Bian
ListingMunro, Marilyn
Coordinates56°38′50.29″N 4°53′52.07″W 
Naming
English translationGreat Herdsman of Etive[2]
Language of nameGaelic
PronunciationScottish Gaelic: [ˈpuəxəʎə ˈeʰtʲə moːɾ],
English: /ˈbuːəxeɪl ˈɛtɪv ˈmɔːr/
Geography
Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr
LocationGlen Etive, Scotland
OS gridNN223543
Topo mapOS Landranger 41

Buachaille Etive Mòr takes the form of a ridge nearly five miles (8 km) in length, almost entirely encircled by the River Etive and its tributaries. The ridge contains four principal tops: from north-east to south-west these are Stob Dearg (1021.4 m), Stob na Doire (1011 m), Stob Coire Altruim (941 m) and Stob na Bròige (956 m). Stob Dearg and Stob na Bròige are both Munros; the latter was promoted to Munro status by the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1997.[3]

Ascent
Buachaille as seen from the north with all its main peaks visible. (See the image annotations on its Wikimedia Commons page.)

The steep, craggy north-eastern face of Stob Dearg forms the classic aspect of the mountain as seen from the Kings House Hotel, and constitutes the most direct route of ascent for climbers and scramblers. Crowberry Ridge, a classic rock climb graded severe, was first climbed direct – and photographed – in 1900 by the Abraham brothers with Messrs Puttrell and Baker. Immediately to the left is Curved Ridge, one of the most famous scrambling routes.

Alternatively there is a somewhat eroded path leading steeply up the Coire na Tulaich which, in summer conditions, allows walkers to ascend the peaks, reaching the ridge about half a kilometre west of Stob Dearg.

Buachaille Etive Mòr is separated from its sister mountain of Buachaille Etive Beag to the west by the valley of Lairig Gartain. To the east lies Glen Etive, which provides an alternative route of ascent, heading up steep grassy slopes to the summit of Stob na Bròige. Another route follows the Allt Coire Altruim from the Lairig Gartain, reaching the ridge about two thirds of the way along from the north. This route is often used as descent route in conjunction with an ascent via Coire na Tulaich, forming a circular route with a walk out along the Lairig Gartain.

On 24 January 2009, three mountain climbers were killed and one was seriously injured in an avalanche.

Lagangarbh Hut
Buachaille Etive Mòr from the A82, showing Lagangarbh Hut in the lower left
Listed summits of Buachaille Etive Mòr
NameGrid refHeightStatus
Stob DeargNN2235431022 m (3352 ft)Munro, Marilyn
Stob na DoireNN2075321011 m (3317 ft)Munro top
Stob na BròigeNN190525956 m (3136 ft)Munro
Stob Coire AltruimNN197530941 m (3087 ft)Munro top

The only building in the vicinity of Buachaille Etive Mòr is Lagangarbh Hut, popularly referred to as a cottage on account of its appearance. It sits at the foot of Buachaille Etive Mòr, adjacent to the River Coupall, and near the A82. It is owned by the National Trust, and managed by the Scottish Mountaineering Club, who make it available to hire as accommodation; up to 30 people can be accommodated.

Buachaille Etive Mòr appears in the background during a song sequence in the 1998 Bollywood film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.[4][5] Together with Beinn a'Chrulaiste it can also be seen in the film Skyfall, where James Bond transports M away from the villain Raoul Silva. It was also the setting for the pop video "Whistle Down the Wind" by Nick Hayward.

The Buachaille's north-east face

See also

References
  1. "Buachaille Etive Mòr (Stob Dearg)". Hill Bagging - the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH). 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  2. Peter Hodgkiss, The Central Highlands, Scottish Mountaineering Club District Guidebook, 5th ed. (Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 1994)
  3. "Buachaille Etive Mor". walkhighlands.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  4. "Wealth of fans to locate". The Scotsman. 28 September 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  5. "Ticket tout fears over Bollywood star". The Scotsman. 8 August 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.