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It’s a beautiful morning and I am driving along the road listening to music whilst in awe of the snow capped mountains and the stillness all around, but I best keep my wits about me cos the roads are treacherous!
A bird of prey flies across the road in front of me….. awesome…..
Once I reach Loch Lomond side, there is a slither of fog on the surface of the water and its just gorgeous…. Can’t stop, I’ve got a mountain to climb!
I park at Inverglas, near the Power Station, quick toilet stop, gear on and last minute decision to ditch ice axe (which I later realise was a mistake).
Heading South along the road I am chuffed to be out on such a glorious day and I turn up the road where there are a number of warnings regarding pedestrian access due to work that is being carried out further up the road. I did have a giggle when I reached the gate at the end of the road. I know I have put on weight, but I couldn’t fit through it! The road was a bit slippy in places and I was concentrating on where I should be coming off the road and start climbing the ridge to the summit….
There was no cairn indicator so I went off piste and up the hill by a gorge, then over snowy capped moss after my leg went through a hole and into a pool of water whilst the rest of me hit the deck.
I was a true wanderer, but suddenly had this feeling that I was on the wrong hill, but rather than check the map (I had the map image stored in my head and was sure I was on Ben Vorlich), I decided that I would go up to what I thought was a summit and eyed up the less steep route and bumbled up through the snow. Once there I realised there was more to this hill than met the eye, so continued up and over snowy craggy humps. It had been clear but it now everything was smothered in fluff and I couldn’t see in the distance to see if there was more to this mountain or not. I kept going and then found a set of footprints, so I followed them when Vorlich revealed part of itself to me. Of course I was on the right hill – how could I ever doubt myself….!
I could see people in the distance on the Little Hills. I have no idea where the ‘normal’ route is, but the footprints I follow lead up through and around the craggy tops, then I spot a chap and see a larger trail of footprints ripe for following. He is on the normal path, but flamin eck it’s steep.
The frost bitten trig point was eventually reached – took me 4 hours and 20 minutes
Then I daundered to the next top (the actual summit) chatting to a bloke until the cloud dissipated and then I hid behind a large boulder for my lunch and a hot cuppa. 20 minutes
Time is nicking on. Its now about 1410, so quick change of gloves and get off before darkness falls.
I met a chap (Andrew from Newcastle) not far from the top putting on Crampons, which we’d later find out was not a bad shout at all as we bumbled down. It got to a really slippy part and Andrew leant me his ice axe for the walk down. It’s a very steep descent and was very very slippy, so much so that I did a roly poly down the hill.
I managed to rescue myself by grabbing handfuls of thick grass, but THANK YOU to Andrew for his quick response. If I hadn’t saved myself, he grabbed me before I rolled off again….
Drama over we descended to the tarmac road near the dam which seemed to take forever. Strip off all the gear and a walk out. No head torch required.
The road was much slippier than it had been this morning and we took to the grassy side. Once we reached the path at the main road we met two chaps, one who had slipped on a very icy section and he suspects sprained his ankle.
He had climbed Ben Vane today. To whoever you are, I hope it was only a sprain and that you recover quickly.
I have to say that I had been putting Ben Vorlich off for some time and I don’t know why. I thought that it would be quite an uninteresting hill and easy. The guide book does state ‘undulating ridge’. The book is correct in that respect! But this is one of the best hills I have done in quite a while! My 30th munro for this year - woohoo!
- A'Chrois
- Loch Arklet and Loch Katrine and surrounding hills
- Looking South
- Arrochar and hills
- Lock Arklet, Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond
- Ben Vane
- Looking back over the ridge
- View NW from the Vorlich summit
- Chimp Rock
- Back along and the ridge and Ben Lomond