Ben Vorlich and Stuc A’Chroin
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 8:38 amI had planned on doing this route on the weekend but on checking the weather report and seeing it was meant to be a traditional Scottish summers day of rain I decided to take a half day at work and head straight for Loch Earn. I'd been up Ben Ledi on Monday and hit cloud about 1/3 of the way up so I wanted to get up the hills and enjoy some stunning views at least once this week.
The intial path up towards Ben Vorlich I found steady going but was still sweating buckets due to the 26*C heat and the sun beating down on me. Still, I managed to make good time and made it to the summit in just under an hour and a half. When Stuc A’Chroin came into view at the top I thought it looked pretty intimidating and wondered if I should just head back down the way I came but i knew I'd be kicking myself if I did. The descent into the bealach was fairly straightforward but when faced with the rocky face infront of me I decided I would go for the “easier” route up, the return path from route description. This was still a very steep scramble and the dirt and rocks were very loose with all the dry weather we’ve been having. After this section it was a straightforward walk up to the summit with great views all around especially back to Ben Vorlich. Beginning my descent I was pretty apprehensive about going back down the steep zig-zag path but by being careful and taking my time I actually found it easier than the climb up. At the bottom it was easy to pick out the path round the lower west side of Ben Vorlich and this was a steady but enjoyable walk back to rejoin the main path. Was 7.30pm by the time I made it back to car at Loch Earn so only passed a couple of people on the way back down. Very enjoyable days walking but I was definitely needing my dinner and a beer after it.
The intial path up towards Ben Vorlich I found steady going but was still sweating buckets due to the 26*C heat and the sun beating down on me. Still, I managed to make good time and made it to the summit in just under an hour and a half. When Stuc A’Chroin came into view at the top I thought it looked pretty intimidating and wondered if I should just head back down the way I came but i knew I'd be kicking myself if I did. The descent into the bealach was fairly straightforward but when faced with the rocky face infront of me I decided I would go for the “easier” route up, the return path from route description. This was still a very steep scramble and the dirt and rocks were very loose with all the dry weather we’ve been having. After this section it was a straightforward walk up to the summit with great views all around especially back to Ben Vorlich. Beginning my descent I was pretty apprehensive about going back down the steep zig-zag path but by being careful and taking my time I actually found it easier than the climb up. At the bottom it was easy to pick out the path round the lower west side of Ben Vorlich and this was a steady but enjoyable walk back to rejoin the main path. Was 7.30pm by the time I made it back to car at Loch Earn so only passed a couple of people on the way back down. Very enjoyable days walking but I was definitely needing my dinner and a beer after it.