Height: 3884 ft; 1174m
1:50000 Sheet and grid ref: 51; 433245
Comments: The traverse described here takes one away from the popular NW and NE ridge
routes on the ascent with a route into the Coire Chaorach, giving an interesting and wild perspective of Ben More
and its attendant peaks. The only disadvantage is the trudge back along the road unless transport
is available. Extensions to Stob Binnein are perfectly possible.
Like I said above, this route keeps away from the scoured and unsightly tourist routes on the climb up the mountain. It is not particulary strenuous until the ascent of the south ridge, except that a lot of the walking is over hummocky, pathless terrain, but it is well worth it to stay away from the crowds and feel the bold wildness that the hills should represent untouched by man. The descent is down the foremost ascent route of the NW ridge, but it adds variety to the outing and is actually quite a pleasant way down. It has the added bonus of watching all the poor people toiling upwards :)
Find point for the walk is easy. On the A85 road between Crianlarich and Killin, about 4-5 km east of BenMore Farm, there is a fairly large layby which cannot possibly be missed when travelling westwards. Go over the bridge to the east of the layby, and take the track starting up the east bank of the Allt Coire Chaoraich. Follow this through the forest for about two kilometers; crossing the river once fairly near the start and a second time shortly before emerging onto the open hill. Thankfully, the track ends here; you have come up quite a way inside the trees, and are facing the wide mouth of Coire Chaorach. Like so many of the corries in the highlands, its real beauty lies in its inner recesses. Even if not bounded by dark cliffs, the sense of peace and lonely wildness near the head of the corrie is beautiful.From here the going is pathless, and the ground can be quite a pain, being boggy and hummocky almost all the way to the col between Stob Binnein and Ben More. This col, the Bealach eadar dha Bheinn, is where the south ridge of Ben More is joined and followed to the summit. From here, you can make your own way to the head of the corrie, but the best route lies on the northern side of the corrie, contouring around the lower slopes of the NE ridge. If the weather is good enough, you will see that the route onto the col is obvious; the best way onto "pass between to mountains" is on its right(N) end, where easy slopes lead onto its flat, wide expanse. The ascent so far has not been strenuous but it has brought you up a good way; the final part of the ascent is to follow the obvious path leading up the S ridge for the last 1500 feet to the summit. The ridge is wide and mostly grassy, but becoming stonier higher up with quite a steep drop on its W side. The angle is fairly steep for most of the way but eases nearer the summit when a few rocky outcrops appear. These can be (very) easily scrambled over, or skirted on their E side. Finally, the OS trig point and large cairn on the summit are reached.
For the descent, locate the beginning of the path leading down the steep NW shoulder; in mist the start is not obvious, and care should be taken not to stray too far south or west when finding the path. Once reached, however, the route is horrendously well worn; the headwall of the hanging corrie on the SW side of this shoulder may be dangerous being steep and rocky, but if the path is followed, alongside a low stone dyke lower down, it presents no risk, in summer at least. The views on the descent compensate for any discomfort. A few hundred feet above the track the path peters out on boggier ground; there is no single advisable route down to the track winding up from the farm. Upon reaching the track, follow it almost to the farm, where there is an exit onto the road. From here walk back the final three/four km to the car park. A bit of extra effort, but worth it for the variety of a traverse.