The Grey Corries

Great Glen Routes · Routebook · Home

The highest points of the Grey Corries can just be seen from 'Nevis View'. From a little higher up the whole ridge and it's northern aspect comes into view. They look very much smaller than Ben Nevis because they are more distant, but the whole of the ridge between the two main tops is over 1000m high and it contains Munros 15 and 37. The other point about these mountains is that they are a long way from the nearest road! The name comes from the colour of the quartzite scree on the tops of the hills.

I parked at Corriechoille (GR 252807) and took the long walk across the low pastures to the start of the forestry. Here the track crosses the trackbed of the old 'Puggy Line' used in the building of the hydroelectric scheme for the aluminium smelter at Fort William. Here also it starts to rise to the Lairig Leacach. However, as soon as the track emerged from the far side of the forestry I turned right following it's edge up the slopes of Beinn Bhan. After about 1km I struck off towards the edge of the crags overlooking the Lairig Leacach. As it got higher there were remnants of cornices which provided a welcome source of water. The line flattened out a little before the final steepening up now rocky slopes to Stob Choire Claurigh (1177m, M15). This was a splendid place to stop and rest a while. I had found the climb hard so I left it to more energetic souls to walk across to Stob Coire na Ceannain (1121m).

The walk along the ridge was splendid and all too short. At one point the old cornices were slowly slipping downwards leaving a Bergshund crack between themselves and the hill. They also had some old boot prints on their tops! At Stob Coire Easain it was time to leave the main ridge and head back down towards the forest, Sgurr Choinnich Mor being left for another day. This was an excellent route off the hill, being on good ground which wasn't too steep. At one point I came across a couple of other walkers who had found some orchids. Just before the forestry the Allt Choimhlidh had to be crossed, which meant taking my boots of. The cold water was really refreshing, though my two companions precluded a more through immersion. Just as we were contemplating the very long walk back to Corriechoille a chap suddenly appeared and offered us a lift. His car was just a little further on - he must have had some special access to be able to leave it there. We were truly grateful as we were saved some 4 miles of walking along hard tracks.