After walking Ben Chonzie the day before and waking up to find we had somehow managed two days of cracking weather this weekend, we wanted to head out for a quick climb up this favourite where we knew we'd get some cracking views.
Although the normal route up is still technically closed, both the Ben A'An and Ben Venue car parks were full of cars with walkers heading up both routes.
Having not walked this one in a while, I'd forgotten how steep the first section of this was. The path had a lot of scree making it slightly slippy. Looking back, there were great views over Loch Achray and Duke's Pass in the background.
Soon the summit came into view as the path began to level out before the final steeper 'stepped' section towards the summit. Despite stopping regularly to take in the view/take photographs, we still reached the summit in just over an hour.
If I can put my 'moany' hat on for a second: the one downside to the great weather and short climb was how busy the summit was. I think being spoiled by being the only people at the summit of Ben Chonzie the day before made the business and noise of Ben A'An slightly different!
This really must be one of the most rewarding walks in Scotland for so little climb.
The descent to the car took less than an hour and all in was a cracking day out in the sun!
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.