Ben Vane in the rain, not heavy just persistant - until of course we came off the hill when the sun came out - the joys of the Scottish weather. No great surprise that it was wet and boggy from the word go. On the hill again with Jesper and joined by Danny for the first time, the last time we were out on a hill together was in July as "Team UPIMA" when we were 1500m up near the Geita Gold Mine in Tanzania, it was certainly much warmer and drier that day.
The start of the walk from the small bridge was pretty muddy so we all start off with wettish feet, we found out on the way back that there was in fact a drier route 50m further up the track which immediately climbed up a small to hill to the left and so missing the boggiest bit on the climb. The first hour of the climb is a bit of a slog with not much to catch the eye, especially as the mist and rain began to lower from above. The terrain became much more interesting as we reached the rocky upper slopes. Unfortunately the weather also deteriorated !!
After 3 hours and several fase summits we reach the real summit of Ben Vane, a desolate rain swept and cold place today.
It was pretty exposed on the summit today so after a quick couple of photos it was right back down to find a sheltered spot for some warm tea. I enjoyed Ben Vane despite the weather, some interesting rocky features once you are above 500m and even a short scramble, may do it again on a sunny day.
Warning
Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.