First winter snow on the new corbett

[past my sell by date]

I'm not a great fan of the drive to Arrochar - the section between Ardlui and Tarbet is narrow and twisty - though the road works which used to cause long delays are finally over. I thought I'd finished the Arrochar Corbetts but then a newly promoted one Cnoc Coinnich was added and it seemed a good choice for a November day. As I dropped down into Arrochar, the Cobbler was resplendent in the sunshine and I had to stop and take a photo.

I pushed on down to Ardgartan drove along the road to the parking place, set off up Collason Glen, branched off onto the path on the L and continued boggily to the cairn at the high point on the Cowal way with a small lochan beside it. The Loch Goil hills suddenly come into sight.

Looking back near the start

Looking up to the Brack on the R

The Loch Goil hills from the Lochan

The Brack from the high point

Across to Ben Luibhean, Ben Ime and The Cobbler
There were a couple resting by the cairn who'd just done the hill - " it's boggy" they said, They were right. I sploshed my way between the white poles that mark the route : after about half a Km I turned diagonally L towards the North ridge and promptly plunged in knee deep, fell forward and soaked both gloves

Snow on Ben Lomond - but much of it melted during the day

The steepest part of the ridge
Once on the ridge, the terrain was a bit better, and I reached the pleasantly airy cairn quite easily. There was still a trace of snow and a chilly NW wind, but just below the top on the SE side there is a wonderfully sheltered ledge where I sat down had some lunch and admired the splendid views .
VIEWS FROM THE TOP

The Loch Goil Hills

Looking down the Clyde - the round synmmetrical hump of Ailsa Craig in the centre, Arran on the R

Another view South - slightly further L

The Luss Grahams

Zoomed view North to Stobinian - Cruach Ardrain just to its L - Ben More is directly behind . Beinn Narnain on the L

Zoomed view - Arrochar and Ben Lomond - Stuc a Chroin behind maybe

N to Ben Ime and The Cobbler

Ben Donich beyond the summit cairn : I guess the sharp spikes behind are Beinn an Lochain

Cruachan in the distance on the L - 35Km away
While I was sitting there a Raven appeared and landed on the cairn. i got one photo, but as I tried to get nearer it flew off laughing at me raucously

I decided to head directly back - the map showed no big outcrops and the terrain could scarcely be worse than on the ascent. I headed firstly towards Ben Lomond and then traversed down and L towards the edge of the forest

I headed towards Ben Lomond
The terrain steepens quite a bit above the forest and I went a fraction too low and had to climb up 10m or so a couple of times to cross gullies. The golden rule in this situation is "follow the deer". It never fails. I duly reached the gate into the forest and returned to the car. The whole landscape was lit up by a vivid yellow orange light

Evening light on the Brack

Tullich hill - across Loch Long
This continued all the way to Tarbet and beyond , but stopping the car is not easy on that road: I managed to snap Ben Lomond from Inveruglas, but it was much better earlier. Altogether an excellent day

[Chris Mac]

Looks like an enjoyable walk and you took some great photos. My friends who grew up locally in Cove and Roseneath will need to get up there with me for an aerial view of their home turf.

Good to know it's quite boggy higher up and the Brack looks straightforward from the bealach. Pretty sure that is Stuc a'Chroin just behind Ben Lomond and I like how Ben Cruachan is framed amongst the rocky surrounding hills, cheers!

[rockhopper]

Good day for it - a lot nicer than I got a year ago despite a decent forecast....(....now where I have I heard that before ) - cheers

[past my sell by date]

Thanks for the replies. Once you get off the Cowal way the bogginess is only "average" and the views are nice. I did think of doing the Brack as well - I've only done it in poor weather - but my hands and feet were very wet and I really needed to have started earlier

[Graeme D]

Some lovely long range photos there.

[Jaxter]

I always enjoy the drive to Arrochar because it avoids the section of road from Tarbet to Crianlarich. You must be coming from further north

Some cracking photies though, I could barely see my hand in front of my face when I was up there. But I'm sure I'll revisit. Hopefully after a drought

[past my sell by date]

Some lovely long range photos there.

Hi Graeme D
It's always that much clearer when the temperature drops a bit and freezes all the "rubbish" out of the air. In the Alps in the early morning you can see clearly for 100km +

[past my sell by date]

I always enjoy the drive to Arrochar because it avoids the section of road from Tarbet to Crianlarich. You must be coming from further north

Some cracking photies though, I could barely see my hand in front of my face when I was up there. But I'm sure I'll revisit. Hopefully after a drought

Hi Jackie
Yes I come from Strathearn so It's across to Crianlarich and then South. The Arrochar alps are good hills but too many big paths for my liking - even on the Corbetts. My local Corbett Meall na Fearna still looks almost "virgin" - even the cairn consists of only a dozen or so stones