When Elsewhere Beckons

Ben More (Crianlarich) is one of my favourite Munros in the Scottish Highlands, probably for the same reason that some might hate it: it’s essentially a staircase straight up the mountain.

It was also one of the first Munros I hiked. At the time, I bypassed Stob Binnein because I was adamant about catching an earlier train back (I’m not sure why). However, this wasn’t a hill I particularly minded redoing, which I did a few years later.

This trail combines Ben More and Stob Binnein in a circular route, taking in the satisfying staircase ascent and descending via the rather muddy slopes to return to the car park. Since I arrived in Crianlarich by train, this added an additional 45-minute walk (one way) to reach the trailhead.

The walk from Crianlarich railway station isn’t too bad an addition. While there are sections along the road, be sure to look out for the path that runs between the river and the road through the trees, which leads towards the actual trailhead at the foot of Ben More.

After crossing the road, you follow a winding bridleway up the hillslope, which serves as a good warm-up for what’s to come. After passing through the gate, I took a wrong turn the first time around, heading left instead of spotting the small path that begins upwards. On my second visit to the mountain, I was happy to see a little sign had been added to indicate the otherwise easily-missed path.

Here begins the staircase up Ben More. While some sections are steeper than others and a few areas can get a little muddy, overall, it’s a pretty well-maintained path all the way up to the summit. I took plenty of breaks along the way to enjoy the views of Loch Iubhair and Loch Dochart below.

Being one of the higher Munros in the area, you’re treated to incredible views of the surrounding Southern Highlands upon reaching the summit. It’s an excellent spot to take a break before continuing on to the second Munro of the day: Stob Binnein.

It’s a rocky descent to the bealach, which involves a couple of steep steps down, soit’s best to take your time here.

Stob Binnein pales slightly in comparison to Ben More, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy hike. In fact, the ascent up the grassy ridge makes for a nice shift from the first part of the day. While rocky at times, it’s an easy-to-follow path leading to the summit.

After enjoying the views, I took my time retracing my steps back to the bealach and continued the descent down the western slopes. Remembering all too well from last time that this section involves soft ground and slippery parts, I was initially tempted to head back up Ben More and make this an out-and-back. However, my legs firmly disagreed with that idea, so I began making my way down from there instead.

By this time, I’d become a big fan of hiking poles, and this second experience only grew my affection for them as the added stability made navigating the boggy ground so much easier (I believe I only slipped once).

The messily descending path leads to the track below, which I then followed back to the junction with the start of the staircase. From there, I retraced my steps all the way back to Crianlarich. Not having enough time for a pint before the next train, I settled instead for some snacks and an ice cream from the convenience shop and hopped back on the train to Edinburgh.