If walkhighlands says there`s a cairn, there`s a cairn !

[tomyboy73]

attachment=1]our_route.gpx[/attachment]
It was a wet day and as i was going solo i thought i`d just leave it today (again !), but i then realised I wouldn`t get anywhere close to walking all the munros if i kept that attitude up. So bag packed and off to Ben Vorlich to bag my 11th Munro. It`s Scotland, it`s going to rain a lot. I set off from the car, yes the car, at the car park in Inveruglas at 11.18am, but was stopped by a fellow novice walker(jeez, had to stop the clock) for some advice on the mountains in the Arrochar Alps. Happy to pass on my knowledge to him that Beinn an Lochhain is not a munro and there is in fact two Ben Vorlichs. I`m getting good at this, I cheerfully thought as i left him to get ready to go up Ben Vane. I followed the guide from probably the best website in the world and headed along the road to Loch sloy.

loch sloy dam

As the dam came into view i started looking out for the cairn that marks the start of the walk, but the closer i got i started to worry that i`d maybe passed it or maybe someone had stolen it I turned back down the road and scanned the hill for some sign of a path. Eventually i just picked a spot and stared heading upwards. The cloud was very low and there was a slight smirring of rain. I clambered up over rocks and streams and with no chance of seeing any great views, I spurred myself on. My way of getting up was pretty dificult but enjoyable as i headed for the next shadowy buttress that poked out of the clouds. At about 2700ft i stopped for someting to eat and a well deserved rest. It was now 1.45pm and i thought i must be near the top now. Aye right. It was about 2800ft when i discoverd a path that took me along the plateau towards the summit, i thought .Again and again this happened until i almost **** myself when i heard voices coming towards me. The weary bunch of walkers told me i only had about 20 minutes to go. I reached both summits and the only thing in sight was cloud

summit cairn

It was now 2.55pm. But what a great mountain, i`d love to see it basking in the sun. So i began my descent and was hoping to follow the path back along the ridge, but couldn`t find it again so i just headed straight down towards Loch Sloy. I`d been going down for about 45mns in thick cloud when i saw the must unlikely sight for sore eyes on a mountain, an electricity pylon ! Yes, this meant i was close to the bottom The narrow loch then opened up before me and i followed it back along it`s rocky bank towards the dam.

loch sloy

About one km along the road, what did i see ? A little cairn marking the start of the (quite clear) path.
It was now 4.20pm and i got back to the car about an hour later. Me feet were sore, and i was soaking wet, but beats staying in the house doing D.I.Y

[mountain coward]

Ouch - it looks scarily steep and rocky on your map if that's where you came back down! We had weather just like it when we did it... I liked the mountain though

[skuk007]

Good will-power there to get out in such miserable conditions. I was lucky to do this on a good day and the views are worth it. I also couldn't find the small cairn on the path and ended up going cross-country for at least half the incline before picking up the path higher up.
Followed the path down all the way to the small cairn.