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Lost spectacles, eastern Ben Vorlich

Lost spectacles, eastern Ben Vorlich


Postby Dave Hewitt » Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:07 pm

I was on the eastern Ben Vorlich today with a friend who lost a spectacles case (grey) somewhere on the main path from Ardvorlich, probably (but not definitely) on the upper third of the hill. He also lost a bag containing his lunch - it appears both fell out of a rucksack pocket - so the two things might be together and the lunch bag might be easier to spot assuming it hasn't blown away or been dealt with by the ravens. The spectacles case contained a pair that my friend uses a lot - he swaps between two pairs depending on conditions, and was wearing the other pair at the time. We came down the same way to have a look - we'd intended descending the NW ridge - but no joy, and there wasn't any sign of the lost items back at the car either. It's a popular route, so if anyone finds the spectacles in particular please say so on here or drop me a line, thanks.
Dave Hewitt
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Re: Lost spectacles, eastern Ben Vorlich

Postby Dave Hewitt » Tue Oct 05, 2021 11:47 pm

An update on this, as it's had a happy ending, I went back to Ben Vorlich today, alone, to look for my friend's specs and their case - it seemed worth having another look even though six days had passed. Plodded up the main path thinking that at most it was a 33% chance of finding them, probably more like 25% really - but it wasn't zero, so I kept looking in the pathside ditches etc as I went up.

It always seemed most likely to have been dropped at one of the places we'd stopped for drinks etc a week earlier, but the first couple of these didn't bring any joy. Then at the large cairn at the top of the steepish section at about 700m I stopped to have a look as we'd stopped there last week too. A young couple with a nice little brown dog were also there, heading down, and they proved to be the heroes of this story. I mentioned that I was looking for a grey spectacles case and if by chance they found it could they please leave it on the bridge beside the road. I then carried on uphill, but about two minutes later there was a great shout from below. I scurried back down and the young chap ran up, clutching the case with its contents safe and intact. Seemingly I had put my rucksack on top of the case at the cairn while looking, and they'd noticed it when having a look themselves after I'd gone. Enormous thanks are due to the couple - I've no idea if they'll read this, but their help was much appreciated and the specs have now been returned to a very happy owner.

What's remarkable really is that my pal and I - plus another friend - specifically searched at the same cairn on the way downhill last week, but didn't spot the case. It's amazing how a grey rock-like object can look just like a rock in such a situation, even when being searched for. And the young couple who found it clearly have better powers of observation than I do.

Anyway, with it found and there thus being no need to come down the same way for a further look - and with the weather improving nicely - I went up Vorlich, across to Stuc and down into Glen Ample before returning along the road - all very pleasant. The close-up dipper sighting near the end felt like a bonus, as did the stags roaring in the glen to the east of Vorlich on the way up. And my friend has now been advised to put some red or orange sticky tape on his spectacles case to make things a bit easier next time. (Incidentally, his lunch - also "lost" last week - rather predictably turned up on his kitchen table when he got back home that evening.)
Dave Hewitt
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Re: Lost spectacles, eastern Ben Vorlich

Postby Cossiep » Thu Oct 14, 2021 12:07 pm

Great update Dave and I admire your determination. I did laugh, however, about the location of 'lost' lunch!
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Re: Lost spectacles, eastern Ben Vorlich

Postby Dave Hewitt » Fri Oct 15, 2021 12:16 am

Cossiep wrote:Great update Dave and I admire your determination. I did laugh, however, about the location of 'lost' lunch!

Thanks - there will have been a few "lost" lunches of that sort over the years, I suspect!

It provided a good excuse for an extra hill day, anyway. I'm trying to get back into the habit (interrupted by the Covid restrictions) of 50 Munros per year, so that ended up being a bonus two. I've since had a Ghlas/Corranaich day (not in search of anything) and have got to 45 for the year, so it feels nicely on course. The 45 have comprised only 19 different Munros, which is a bit lopsided even by my standards; 50 completely different Munros in a year would be considerably harder, of course. Incidentally, I know someone who had somewhere in the region of 30 consecutive years with 200 or more Munros each time, which is quite something.
Dave Hewitt
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