The Angels' Share

Though relatively close to Glasgow and easily accessed by car, the Munros of Glen Etive nevertheless feel wild and remote. David Lintern drinks his fill on a long weekend's circuit of the Ben Starav Five.

I WASN’T EXPECTING TO BE HERE, but here I was: walking up the north ridge of Ben Starav at 8.30 in the morning, fresh snow underfoot, on the fifth day of spring. My other plans hadn’t worked out: the weather window was wrong, I was full of a cold (I have a toddler: I’m always full of the cold) and it looked as if winter was over. But as the saying doesn’t go, if life gives you lemons, make gin and tonic. Storm Katie had swept in a few days before, bringing fresh snow. Now, with a brief lull in her wake, I had spied an opportunity.

Over the past year or so, I’ve focused on exploring the mountains closer to home in Glasgow, and Glen Etive is somewhere I keep returning to. The glen itself could use a good deal less forestry in my view, but it’s still an almost shockingly beautiful place that feels truly remote given how close it is to the Central Belt, and is surrounded by the most incredible mountains. Corbetts, Munros and a host of unnamed tops; broad ridges, narrow arêtes and deep chasms; wild waterfalls and craggy bealachs; easy walking through to mountaineering and complex climbing routes – there’s something for everyone here, even those who don’t stray from the road at all, and only come for a car camp or a ‘Skyfall’ selfie. We came for the first time with my daughter on her second wild camp, and got to within 100m or so of the top of Ben Starav. The final section of boulders was just too slippery with frost for us to continue safely, and we turned around, still having had a fantastic day on the hill in glorious autumnal weather.