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Hot, steep and sweaty

Hot, steep and sweaty


Postby kurtstat » Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 pm

Route description: Ben Vorlich via Loch Sloy

Munros included on this walk: Ben Vorlich (Loch Lomond)

Date walked: 07/09/2024

Time taken: 6.25 hours

Distance: 14.7 km

Ascent: 959m

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As a hillwalker from Edinburgh, I always feel as if I should be granted a visa before I can visit the Arrochar Alps. The Arrochar hills clearly ‘belong’ to Glasgow hillwalkers, and even though all the people you meet on the hill (and there’s always a lot of people) are incredibly pleasant and sociable, there’s still this lingering sense of only being allowed there 'under license'!

This is particularly the case on days when the weather in Edinburgh is crap and the weather on Loch Lomond is beautiful. And today was one of those days. Peter and I left Edinburgh’s dreich, foggy drizzle at 8:30am and then - suddenly - as we were driving up the A82 near Tarbet two hours later, we were in blue-sky-and-blazing-sunshine conditions.

Against expectations, we managed to get a space in the Inveruglas car park and, after slathering ourselves in sun cream, we headed back along the main road. We then took the track that goes underneath the railway line and upwards into the open views of the hills ahead. It took me ages to get my bearings, even though I was on familiar ground. Is the one ahead Ben Vane? Or is it A’ Chrois? And where’s Beinn Ime? Is it the one to the right of Ben Vane or is it the one behind and to the left?

Image
Pretty sure it's A' Chrois on the left, Beinn Ime in the middle and Ben Vane on the right...

All such vague-ness got forgotten pretty quickly once the ‘real’ ascent began from just before the Loch Sloy dam. We got lulled into a false sense of security by the neat stone steps at first, though there is no getting away from the sheer unrelenting steepness of the route. And when there were no stone steps to help, the climb felt like a gym session where you have to do 3,000 squats one after the other.

Except that the views back were a lot better than the views you get in the gym.

Image
Slightly hazy Ben and Loch Lomond seen from the top of the steep ascent up Ben Vorlich

The going got a lot easier once we reached the broad, lumpy-but-basically-flattish ridge. And the walk along it to the summit was delightful. The views down to, and across from, Loch Sloy were superb.

Image[/url]
Looking down from the summit to - and over - Loch Sloy

We had lunch on the summit, and applied more sun cream before descending. Which soon felt like a mistake: there’s something deeply unpleasant about sweat mixed with sun cream as it drips steadily off your forehead and onto your glasses. But the descent back to the Loch Sloy track was fine and quick. And it was still baking hot as we made our way back along the road to the A82.

It took us just over six hours. Brilliant walk. Brilliant weather. Brilliant company.
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kurtstat
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 17
Munros:129   
Joined: Nov 14, 2021
Location: Edinburgh

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