free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
As Jesper has returned to Tanzania, I have a new walking partner today, my youngest son Leo. Was up Ben A'an a few weeks ago and looked over to Ben Venue and thought it would be an interesting climb. 8.15am start from Loch Ard which looked like a mill pond, slight haze on the hills, temperature forecast to reach 27C today. Only car in the lay-by, so we could be first on the summit this morning. It's been a scorcher of a week so the path, which it is said to often be muddy and wet, is virtually dry most of the way through the lower woods and glen.
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- Some nice waterfalls on the way up through the wooded glen.
Nice easy and pleasant walk up the glen to a stile when the rocky slopes of Ben Venue first come into view. Today the path was in the most dry, but I can easily understand the reports that say you can be ankle or knee deep in mud sometimes on parts of this walk.
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- A beautiful day to up top, Leo on the lower south east summit with Ben Ledi in the background.
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- The small cairn on the higher northwest summit with Ben Lomond prominent in the background.
A really enjoyable and relatively easy day's walk, especially as it was really warm and dry all day, hence finding time to dip the toes into a cool highland spring - heaven !!
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- Perfect foot spa to cool the feet down before the final descent.
