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Ben Vorlich - I've come back for you!
Earlier this year, I posted about walking Ben Vane. The only reason we did Vane, not Vorlich, is because halfway up the service road, my partner mentioned she's already bagged Vorlich. A change of plans left me with a stern mental note: "I'll be back!" And lo and behold, there I stood, sunnier skies above and temperatures a touch warmer—a perfect day to revisit my white whale.
And thank god for that. I was unloading my kit at Inverlugas visitor car park:
Walking sticks - check.
Cap - check.
Trousers - check.
Socks - check.
Water - check.
Scran - check.
Boots - crap.
Forgot my walking boots. Thank god for the weather; let's head up.
We trudged up the service road, and for the first time, it hit me—spring had officially sprung. Yellows melting into greens, greys bursting into blues—what a day to kick off the Scottish summer hiking season.
- Way up the service road.
Approaching the ascent path, we encountered a group of guys hanging out at the cut-off point: "Is this the way up Ben Vorlich?" they asked. The look on their faces when we confirmed, "Yep, that's the way up," was priceless. They clearly underestimated the initial steepness and, spoiler alert, so did I.
People say Vorlich is a steep bugger, and I know folks have done the 'insanity route', where it is - literally - just up and up to the very top, but after fighting a wee bug over the week, as well as this being the first expedition since January, I found myself redlining the heart rate for a good 200 metres of ascent.
- Up and up.
At around 600/700m, you begin to see the rest of the Arrochar Alps, with Ben Vane looking mighty on the other side of the Loch.
- Halfway up.
In all honesty, Ben Vorlich doesn't have a lot of features to break the monotony—just a lot of looking up, finding the next step, and powering through. The good views don't really open up until you’re almost at the summit, where, on a clear day, you can spot Ben Lui in one direction and the islands of Loch Lomond in another.
- Lunchtime Chillin'
The way back down was tough on the knees, but it was good fun (and fast!).
- Mountain man
We grabbed a coffee at the Inverlugas visitor centre, and even managed to dip our toes in the water, letting the weather bless us with the first sunburn of 2024! Here's to remembering the boots next time!
