Buachaille Etive Mor - Stob na Broige

About Buachaille Etive Mor - Stob na Broige

Standing as the southwestern anchor of the "Great Herdsman" ridge, this Munro offers a dramatic, aerial perspective directly down the length of Glen Etive. While lacking the iconic triangular profile of its neighbor, Stob Dearg, its rocky summit provides a quieter, more expansive vantage point over the surrounding Glencoe peaks.

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Did You Know?

• •The name translates from Scottish Gaelic as the 'Peak of the Shoe.' While the specific origin of the shoe reference is lost to time, the peak forms the final destination of the Buachaille Etive Mòr ridge, known as the 'Great Herdsman of Etive' for the way it appears to guard the entrance to the glen.
• •For most of the 20th century, this peak was overlooked by many hillwalkers as it was classified only as a 'Top.' It was officially promoted to Munro status in the 1997 revision of the tables by the Scottish Mountaineering Club, making the full traverse of the ridge a two-Munro expedition.
• •The summit offers a celebrated view directly down the deep, glacial trough of Glen Etive toward the distant sea loch of Loch Etive. To the west, the parallel ridge of Buachaille Etive Beag is laid out in its entirety, separated by the deep notch of the Lairig Gartain pass.
• •Reaching the peak usually involves a traverse over the intermediate summits of Stob na Doire and Stob Coire Altruim. This high-level route keeps walkers on a narrow, rocky spine for several kilometres, providing a sense of scale and exposure that is lost when viewing the mountain from the road below.
• •Despite its promotion to full Munro status decades ago, the peak still suffers from a touch of 'Second Peak Syndrome,' often visited by weary walkers who have already spent their best energy—and most of their superlatives—on the more famous Stob Dearg at the opposite end of the ridge.