Buachaille Etive Beag is a mountain crowned with two Munros (peaks) located at the opposite ends of the 2 km ridge, found in one of the most beautiful corners of Scotland, directly between iconic Glencoe and fairy-tale Glen Etive.
A hike to Buachaille Etive Beag is of moderate difficulty and actually the easiest in Glencoe! Along the hike you’ll conquer Stob Coire Raineach (Munro number 1), then traverse a spacious ridge with incredible views to the crown of Glencoe, the most spectacular mountains in the area, only to climb the other Munro, Stob Dubh, located at the other end of the ridge and overlooking Glen Etive. The most amazing Glencoe mountain views enjoyed along Buachaille Etive Beag hike are Aonach Eagach, Bidean nam Bian, Stob Coire nan Lochan, Buachaille Etive Mor; even more on a clear day you’ll also spot the mighty Ben Nevis!
Despite being unmarked, the route features a well trodden, easy-to-follow path all the way!
Buachaille Etive Beag hike is straight forward and can be enjoyed by the whole family, as the walk route avoids any steep sections and difficult terrain.
The best times of year to complete this breath-taking hike is spring-autumn, moreover, we believe that it would also be a great adventure in wintry conditions, however we haven’t tried it yet, therefore can’t comment in detail. If you’re unsure about hiking in winter, check out these winter safety and hiking tips!
Buachaille Etive Beag is a smaller sibling of nearby famous Buachaille Etive Mor. Although the hike is shorter and much easier, it doesn’t lack in amazing scenery and incredible views!
A hike to Buachaille Etive Beag is a fine experience no matter the season, to prove our words we have hiked the mountain 3 times already and share photographs from early spring (still with snow cover), summer and autumn!
Hike to Buachaille Etive beag in Glencoe, Scotland
- Height: Stob Coire Raineach 925 masl, Stob Dubh 956 masl
- Total time: 5.5 hours (add another 2 hours in wintry conditions)
- Total distance: 8 km
- Parking: car park opposite the Beehive cairn, along A82 (free, no facilities)
- Level of difficulty: 3/5 moderate, well-trodden path, straightforward navigation (summer), can be shortened by omitting one of the Munros
- Total ascent: 845 metres
- Buachaille Etive Beag weather: weather forecast for Stob Dearg
- Which map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 384 Glencoe
How to get to Buachaille Etive Beag trail head
The easiest way to get to Buachaille Etive Beag is driving, however the trail can also be reached by public transport.
Scottish Citylink bus service 914 and 915 (from Fort William) passes the mountain and would drop you off at Altnafeadh, just a short walk from the trail head.
The most convenient and nearest car park can be found along road A82, just opposite to the famous ‘beehive cairn’, exact location (directions, open in Google maps).
The trailhead can be found at the far end of the car park, you’ll easily locate a well defined path leading towards the mountains!
How to hike Buachaille Etive Beag in Glencoe
Once you arrive to the trailhead (whether by car or by bus) take a sandy path running thru overgrown heather (signposted as ‘right of way’). Initially the path may seem to be taking you along the glen, between the mountains, but after approx 300 yards (500 metres) you’ll come to a fork, take the left leg, towards Buachaille Etive Beag. The path gently climbs the rugged slopes to reach a spacious saddle on the ridge of Buachaille Etive Beag (Mam Buidhe), your first destination!
Having climbed to Mam Buidhe you have completed the hardest part of the hike, well done!
You can now enjoy stunning eagle-eye view of Glencoe mountains, and plan further steps. We recommend climbing both peaks, Stob Coire Raineach and Stob Dubh, but if you feel like conquering only one of them, we recommend walking to the far end of the ridge, to Stob Dubh. This way you’ll enjoy the hike longer and have a stunning overview of fairy-tale like Glen Etive! Approach to Stob Dubh is quite easy, the ridge rises gently and final climb to the top is rather brief!
Let’s see what to expect along the spacious ridge of Buachaille Etive Beag:
Usually when exploring Buachaille Etive Beag we climb both peaks, our preferred way is getting to the top of Stob Coire Raineach first, directly from the saddle, then continuing to Stob Dubh.
This way we do the hard part first, having reached the saddle at Mam Buidhe have a short break to regain strength and walk straight up to the first Munro. A path to Stob Coire Raineach follows the right hand side of the peak, and is covered by small stones and sand as it passes small crags.
Once at the top, take your time to enjoy the view and maybe walk to the far end of the mountain (slightly downhill) for the best views of iconic Buachaille Etive Mor!
Retrace your steps to the saddle and head to Stob Dubh, some 30-40 mins (2 km) away!
The ridge traverse is incredible and very easy! The cone-shaped peak at the far end of the ridge offers stunning views to iconic Bidean nam Bian as well as Buachaille Etive Mor, and is perfect for a longer break! The top is surprisingly spacious and easily fits a small crowd, if necessary. Moreover, Stob Dubh provides a fantastic overview of Glen Etive, a legendary, fairy-tale like glen.
We believe that the ridge traverse and climb to Stob Dubh is the best part of a Buachaille Etive Beag hike, this incredible experience was the reason we keep coming back to this compact mountain in Glencoe!
Hike to Buachaille Etive Beag takes you to the very heart of incredible Glencoe giant mountains, you can admire some of the hardest mountains in Scotland without actually enduring a hard hike!
In this respect, Buachaille Etive Beag is the best and rather gentle introduction to Glencoe mountains, a hike to inspire further exploration of the area and setting off for one of the harder routes/mountains.
Glencoe is famous for its spectacular mountains, many local hikes require a hard, full day expedition and scrambling/climbing experience, like Aonach Eagach ridge, or Bidean nam Bian. Nonetheless, mountains of Glencoe are legendary, for their hardship as well as incredible beauty and fine experience! Buachaille Etive Beag is no exception, despite being much easier to conquer.
What we loved about hiking to Buachaille Etive Beag
I think we already made it very clear throughout the article! The hike offers a unique insight into the mountains of Glencoe at a relatively small price. Buachaille Etive Beag guarantees a fine hiking experience, mind-blowing views and we couldn’t help but be inspired, we returned to complete harder routes in the area!
The proof is in the photographs that portray the mountain in 3 seasons! We are planning to try this amazing hike in winter, that’s a promise, guys! Watch this space!
Buachaille Etive Beag Glencoe, Scotland, hiking map
Glencoe area is notorious for bad mobile reception, hence we recommend heading to the mountains geared with a paper map and ‘old -school’ means of navigation.
Check out this simple online map which will help you plan your Buachaille Etive Beag adventure! (can be downloaded for offline use, alternatively you can find these trails on the free offline app maps.me)
Camping at Buachaille Etive Beag, nearest campsite and accommodation
The dedicated car park is suitable for overnight stay in a small campervan if you’re caught by nightfall, as it’s fairly flat. However, please be mindful, as the car park is small and in high demand during the day!
If you’re looking to stay overnight off-grid in a tent, Buachaille Etive Beag ridge offers endless possibilities to pitch, you’ll have no problem finding flat grassy ground to sleep up high and enjoy amazing sunset or sunrise! When staying off grid, please ensure to act responsibly and with respect towards the nature, leave no trace!
The nearest campsite is located at the far end of Glen Coe, Red Squirrel Campsite. Other budget accommodation can be found in the iconic Clachaig Inn, lodge and hostel very popular with Scottish walkers.
The walkers’ tradition is to end any hike in Glencoe in Clachaig Inn hikers pub (recommended for local beers and ales, and good hearty food!), a perfect place to finish your hiking day!
Other accommodation near Glencoe, our top picks and previous stays:
| Accommodation | Rating | Comment |
| Ballachullish Hotel | 7.8 /10 | clean, comfortable, great food! Loch view! |
| Loch Leven Hotel and Distillery | 8.1 /10 | a chance to visit a local distillery! |
| Isles of Glencoe Hotel | 8.6 /10 | located just over Loch Leven |
| Beech Chalet | new! | mountain views, live fire! |
*Level of difficulty explained: 1– easy walk, mostly flat 2-easy hillwalk, good path 3-moderate, possible some steep sections 4-long hillwalk, possibly some scrambling involved, possibly pathless 5-difficult, possibly pathless, long, requires technical skills
