By Yon Bonnie Banks

[weaselmaster]

Another wet and windy forecast. Had hoped to do these hills from maybe Milngavie or Drymen if Allison's back was being iffy - but had hoped for a better weather window. Ultimately decided to go for it. Drove up to Drymen on Friday morning, not an early rise for a change. Reckoned we would only get Conic Hill done on the Friday, so didn't need to leave early. Had hopes for a possible inclusion of Ben Lomond, which came to naught.

I'd done these hills myself a few years back, in a loop starting at Conic Hill and I remembered the terrain in between being quite tough going. As we hadn't been out for any overnights last weekend it seemed a good idea to make it a restful kind of weekend, with shortish days on the hills and most of the walking on tracks. Parked at the main car park in Drymen and set off, the back of 11. Up the Rob Roy Way to Garadhban Forest - quite a few folk out for walks. Ever onwards to Conic Hill - something Allison has wanted to climb for the best part of a lifetime, and now was her chance! There's a path up it, which helps greatly. We wandered up a sheep trail to the summit then headed over the next two bumps to the top nearest Balmaha, which was busy. Told a group of women that the summit was "over there" but they didn't seem overly receptive. Down the path to the car park at Balmaha, passing a fair few folk on the way, busy for a grey, drizzly Friday afternoon in November.

5E7D2BBE-28C2-4EBD-8753-BAC7F8DD6E95_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

5FCD4FF6-CCB9-490C-979B-8458FB8E7E82_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

36E80B8C-3308-44C3-8F02-373611A755E6_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Conic Hill
F3397601-A303-4ADF-B1EA-E015A96DEBAA_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Realising a lifetime's dream
70CF3212-AEAD-4037-B25B-33A510281C4B_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

914189BE-237F-4123-8A05-F79C3A990CAB_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Allison stopped beside Tom Weir's statue for a photo op then we wandered along the way for a bit, going up the "pointless hill" at the Pass of Balmaha then into oak woods - a carpet of crennelated leaves in all shades of russet red to deep brown. Sharp crunch of acorns underfoot. Came to a likely looking spot at Arrochymore Point - far enough from the road not to be descended upon in the evening. Pitched, even though it was only about 3.30 - sat watching the sun slide down on the opposite side of the Loch before the smirr started and we closed up shop for the day.

7D718D03-E2AF-4BF7-A5DD-0113904C7EF0_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

41CCF960-73BB-4E4E-96A1-64A08E4B58D6_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

8A083233-10D2-48D1-935A-DDD12284A3B1_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

4E653801-C954-4535-A2A7-766E21C988EF_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

A windy evening, with waves lapping against the shingle bank, the occasional bark of a crow. Not feeling at my sharpest in the morning, bit of a sore throat, I think I burned the back of my palate on hot soup earlier in the week. We packed up the tent and continued along the Way as far as Cashel, where I intended to use the track marked on the map to reach up towards Binnian nan Gobhar - although I wasn't sure what it would be like underfoot. Good track all the way to the edge of the forest, then very wet, boggy ATV track snaking a circuitous route towards Beinn Bhreac. Clag down from around 450m, so visibility poor. Frequent bursts of rain. Some deep swampy sections along the fence line to be crossed. The old deer fence looks like it has been blasted out of existence by a Deer God - just a few uprights remaining and the odd coil of wire. Not the job when you are trying to follow it in poor visibility. We topped Beinn Bhreac then headed to the summit of Binnean nan Gobhar.

30F8067D-EAEF-4F6B-80B7-EF1F72DECD78_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Binnean nan Gobhar
7A8CEFE2-20A1-469A-8268-11B03679903F_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr



From here I found it hard to keep to the line I wanted, kept pulling down to my left. Fortuitously we reached the bealach with Beinn Uird and used a succession of animal tracks to get up to the shoulder of this hill - a sub-Weasel at 597m. Tussocks and heather becoming mossy and wet as the summit is neared. Decided to descend to Blairvockie, which I think is the way I went down last time. More plodding over wet ground, me finding every hole there was, or so it seemed, always with my left foot. Reached the track that continues to the farm at Blairvockie and from there we walked along the road until the opening for Glasgow Uni's boathouse, which we walked through to rejoin the Way. Passed through Sallochy, which was quite busy even in the poor weather. There were four kids with full packs on looking like they were walking the Way, although they might have been going to set upon camp in the grassy section at Sallochy - they'd walked past all the loch side sites. Again, suspecting that there would be folk coming on a Saturday night to make menace, we walked further on, finding a nice sheltered wee spot south of Sallochy where we got the tent pitched around 4.30 as the light was beginning to fail and the rain threatening to start.

Beinn Uird in the mist
EAAD23C5-44A8-4A76-A60D-1144B138EBC8_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

D34767EB-E774-41BF-9271-F1082EF30763_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr


Got my cooking (ie boiling the water for the Huel) done before we had to shut the tent flap completely. Allison feeling famished - after more "gruel" but there was none, nothing until instant porridge in the morning. A very wet night, rain hammering on the tent and the waters of the Loch seething. Morning found everything wet, but the rain had abated at least for long enough to get the tent down. Track very squidgy much of the way back along to Balmaha. Passed a group of three girls in swimming costumes and (two) wearing woolly hats going in for a dip - it didn't feel that cold (10 degrees air temp) so they probably were not that daft. Balmaha quite busy despite the pouring rain - we sat in Tom's park and ate lunch with the rain teeming down around us. Spared ourselves another go over Conic Hill on the way back, taking the road to Milltown of Buchanan instead. Very glad we were only going to Drymen, not another 18k to Milngavie.

9240459C-06D2-45D6-AF53-366EAA977CE7_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

F0D49583-8946-4796-8278-43B675787F5B_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Great sign for Trelgandorf Boxers
F0D49583-8946-4796-8278-43B675787F5B_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Is that Scoob's wee action hero escaped?
C4EA8B41-6B83-4AEC-923B-003A31DB8ACC_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Wall
CEF859FC-89D4-4E81-841B-CE798152D160_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Unusually specific
27267B36-23A0-42D2-B5B3-0BAB62EA7DF5_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

PB151308 by Al, on Flickr

Allison remains keen to do The Way at some point - possibly an objective for a good weather window of 4-5 days over the winter, as long as we don't have to battle too much snow. And, of course, the covid tiers are no longer an issue...