Ben More, Stob Binneien, Clag and Midgies
Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:08 pmThe forecast for today looked pretty good and as I've had Ben More in my thoughts for some time now I decided to head over to Crianlarich and take in Stob Binnein as well.
I was first to arrive at the side of the road near Benmore Farm and in flat calm overcast conditions it was great news for the local midgies who found themselves having breakfast well before 8am. Passing drivers would have seen me feverishly waving walking socks, boots and anything I could get my hands on to try and keep them at bay but I would have been better just saving my energy and letting them gorge. Presumably it was during this 5 minute performance that I managed to lose my house keys and nearly my car keys but luckily I heard them fall to the ground as I was rushing through the undergrowth to get away from the tree cover.
When I left the house at 5.30 it was blue sky and great visibility but by the time I arrived at the start it was low cloud, no breeze and a bit on the sticky side.
I prefer a few straight forward miles walking to get the legs warmed up before starting a climb, Ben More doesn't give the walker this option (at least from this side of the hill), the climb up on the track isn't too bad but it isn't long before the track is left behind and the long steep climb begins. One good thing about the low cloud, I can't see what lies ahead of me and that may be no bad thing.
The WH report states that there is little in the way of a path on the lower slopes of the hill (after leaving the track) but having left the track at a cairn shortly after an open gate (after going under the power lines) there was a path all the way to the top.
Initially the path is pretty wet and it made for a bit of a slog especially as there was no breeze at this point.
By the time I reached the point where the path meets the low stone wall the clouds were starting to clear and hopes were raised that there could be a view from the top.
I was finding this pretty hard work and I just kept my head down and tried to keep moving rather than stopping for a break. I was helped by the path being drier on the upper slopes and after 1hr 45 mins I was surprised to have the cairn and trig point ahead of me - I hadn't checked my position for a while and just assumed I still had a long way to go. That was fairly relentless and hard going.
No point in hanging about, nothing to see apart from clag so after a couple of minutes I headed off for the descent to the bealach. I knew there was a tricky bit to the descent and didn't actually realise I had cleared it until I could see down the hill and realised it was behind me.
From the bealach the climb up Stob Binnein is fairly steep but it is bone dry and the gradient seems easier than Ben More so it was a reasonably quick climb but again there was nothing to see from the top.
Another quick turnaround and I headed back to the bealach before dropping down into Benmore Glen. I couldn't see a path from the bealach and the going was pretty wet but once I had the burn on my right the track was obvious (if muddy).
This was the hardest part of the day for me, trying to stay upright on wet grass and mud but unusually for me I managed it. By the time I got down to the valley floor I was knackered, actually more tired than on the climb.
From the bottom of the descent to the point where I picked up the track things were a bit on the damp side but it didn't take long to find the track and get the boots on to firmer ground.
By now the clouds had lifted and the temperature was rising quickly but all the climbing was over and I could just enjoy the good views for the last half hour back to the car.
And as is often the case, a quick look back to Ben More and it looks to be clag free, oh well, such is life.
Although there were no views today, better than being in work so can't complain.
I was first to arrive at the side of the road near Benmore Farm and in flat calm overcast conditions it was great news for the local midgies who found themselves having breakfast well before 8am. Passing drivers would have seen me feverishly waving walking socks, boots and anything I could get my hands on to try and keep them at bay but I would have been better just saving my energy and letting them gorge. Presumably it was during this 5 minute performance that I managed to lose my house keys and nearly my car keys but luckily I heard them fall to the ground as I was rushing through the undergrowth to get away from the tree cover.
When I left the house at 5.30 it was blue sky and great visibility but by the time I arrived at the start it was low cloud, no breeze and a bit on the sticky side.
I prefer a few straight forward miles walking to get the legs warmed up before starting a climb, Ben More doesn't give the walker this option (at least from this side of the hill), the climb up on the track isn't too bad but it isn't long before the track is left behind and the long steep climb begins. One good thing about the low cloud, I can't see what lies ahead of me and that may be no bad thing.
The WH report states that there is little in the way of a path on the lower slopes of the hill (after leaving the track) but having left the track at a cairn shortly after an open gate (after going under the power lines) there was a path all the way to the top.
Initially the path is pretty wet and it made for a bit of a slog especially as there was no breeze at this point.
- Looking down towards the start
- Heading in to the clouds
- Could the clouds be clearing
By the time I reached the point where the path meets the low stone wall the clouds were starting to clear and hopes were raised that there could be a view from the top.
- Chap ahead of me was looking to do all 7 over 2 days
I was finding this pretty hard work and I just kept my head down and tried to keep moving rather than stopping for a break. I was helped by the path being drier on the upper slopes and after 1hr 45 mins I was surprised to have the cairn and trig point ahead of me - I hadn't checked my position for a while and just assumed I still had a long way to go. That was fairly relentless and hard going.
- No view for me
No point in hanging about, nothing to see apart from clag so after a couple of minutes I headed off for the descent to the bealach. I knew there was a tricky bit to the descent and didn't actually realise I had cleared it until I could see down the hill and realised it was behind me.
- Stob Binnein ahead
From the bealach the climb up Stob Binnein is fairly steep but it is bone dry and the gradient seems easier than Ben More so it was a reasonably quick climb but again there was nothing to see from the top.
- Stob Binnein Summit
Another quick turnaround and I headed back to the bealach before dropping down into Benmore Glen. I couldn't see a path from the bealach and the going was pretty wet but once I had the burn on my right the track was obvious (if muddy).
This was the hardest part of the day for me, trying to stay upright on wet grass and mud but unusually for me I managed it. By the time I got down to the valley floor I was knackered, actually more tired than on the climb.
- Ben More from the bealach
- Looking back up to Stob Binnein
- And up to Ben More
From the bottom of the descent to the point where I picked up the track things were a bit on the damp side but it didn't take long to find the track and get the boots on to firmer ground.
- Heading for home
- Looking up Loch Lubhair
By now the clouds had lifted and the temperature was rising quickly but all the climbing was over and I could just enjoy the good views for the last half hour back to the car.
And as is often the case, a quick look back to Ben More and it looks to be clag free, oh well, such is life.
Although there were no views today, better than being in work so can't complain.
- Ben More now clear of clag
