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Ben Bowie

Ben Bowie


Postby Franklin » Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:42 pm

Sub 2000' hills included on this walk: Ben Bowie

Date walked: 04/01/2011

Time taken: 1.5 hours

Distance: 5 km

Ascent: 260m

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Parked the car just off the A818 to the east of Daligan Farm. There is a small area that will accommodate 2-3 cars without blocking the gate or the cycle path. Set off around 11:30 am on a typically dreach day.

P1010220.JPG
Start Point off A818 East of Daligan Farm


The path up into the forest heads south east then east climbing steadily.

P1010223.JPG
Good Quality Path up through Forest


There is only one "fork" in the path shown on the map and it id fairly obvious that you continue on the track to the right rather than take the firebreak on the left.

P1010226.JPG
Fork in path shown on 25,000 and 50,000 maps


On my 50,000 map there is a break shown in the forest where you should turn right off the track and head up towards the hill. My 25,000 map shows no gap in the forest. In reality its half and half.

P1010238.JPG
Turn right off track at this point


Follow the path on the left and when you get to the trees at the end the path climbs steeply for about 20 metres. At the top of this rise turn right and follow the path through the trees and onto the hill.

P1010236.JPG
Path through trees on to open hillside


Out on the open hill its a very short climb to the first of 3 small tops each with there own particular view of either Loch Lomond, Helensburgh or the River Clyde.

P1010235.JPG
Short climb to the top


View over Loch Lomond

P1010234.JPG
View over Loch Lomond


View over Helensburgh and the Clyde Estuary

P1010230.JPG
Helensburgh and Clyde Estuary


For the return route you can retrace your steps. I decided to continue south west off the summit until the fence then turning left and following the fence make my way down to the low point between Ben Bowie and Gouk Hill. When you reach a gate in the fence turn left away from the fence (north west) and head back to the hairpin bend in the forest track. Then retrace your steps back to the start point.

P1010232.JPG
View South East from Ben Bowie showing hairpin bend to left and fence to right
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby rockhopper » Tue Jan 04, 2011 7:10 pm

I've never been up here before but looks a nice winter warmer with good views :thumbup:
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby Louis6 » Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:34 pm

May try this one myself,as i don't think Ive the full gear just now for snow capped Munro;s + i stay in Dumbarton :D ,looks a nice winter warmer,nice report be the way :?
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby snodland » Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:04 pm

Thanks for the report. I have had my eye on Ben bowie for several years - though intending to start from the Cardross side.
I always wanted to link it with a walk that goes up Ben Bowie and then comes down the Upper Stoneymollen road but have never been able to find an adequate path linking the two - without going back down to Blackthird Farm.

Do you know if there is a link to the path that goes up Darleith Muir and on the OS Map is last seen at NS353824 ?
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby foggieclimber » Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:00 am

I did this one in August when the bracken in the firebreak was awful - after clearing the firebreak I had to brush myself down to remove a number of ticks from my clothes. Good to do this hill in Winter/Spring when the bracken isn't so high.

Thanks for posting as I got no views from the summit, good to see what I missed.
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby Mal Grey » Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:40 pm

Looks like a nice little hill, which I'd never heard of. So I've learnt something new! Would be nice to have that in my back yard.
Thanks.
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby MacAoidh » Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:30 pm

I first climbed Ben Bowie way back in 1968, and paid it a return visit 42 years later when I climbed it again in 2010.
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby Graeme D » Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:13 pm

Ah, the wee ones! You're on 8 of them now - double figures soon. Slippery slope. Just look at me! :lol:

MacAoidh wrote:I first climbed Ben Bowie way back in 1968, and paid it a return visit 42 years later when I climbed it again in 2010.


You'd have changed a bit but time would have stood still for Ben Bowie! :lol:
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby MacAoidh » Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:41 am

Graeme Dewar wrote:
MacAoidh wrote:I first climbed Ben Bowie way back in 1968, and paid it a return visit 42 years later when I climbed it again in 2010.


You'd have changed a bit but time would have stood still for Ben Bowie! :lol:


Yes, in 1968 I was just a boy, but now I'm just a boy at a funny age lol :lol:
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby comfy sox » Sat Apr 14, 2012 6:26 pm

done your route in reverse, missed the break in the trees, due to a nice view of loch lomond on the other side of track. once at the top fantastic pannoramic views,including snow capped ben more.pitty i didnt bring my camera, all in all an excellent couple of hours. :D
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby JFMurray » Sat Jul 13, 2013 1:25 am

Cracking wee hill Ben Bowie, and as my local hill I've been up it many times. The views across to the Luss hills and Loch Lomond / Ben Lomond are superb for such little effort, as are the views to as far as Goat Fell on Arran in the other direction. It's now the target of my first attempts at hill running, and getting the view back down to the house is brilliant in the sunny weather we've been having. I will warn anyone attempting it at this time of year that the flies are unbelievable. I'm sure they followed me from bottom to top the other day when I was up, although maybe I just attract flies, who knows. :lol:
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Re: Ben Bowie

Postby mi5kim » Tue May 17, 2016 7:46 pm

Franklin wrote:Parked the car just off the A818 to the east of Daligan Farm. There is a small area that will accommodate 2-3 cars without blocking the gate or the cycle path. Set off around 11:30 am on a typically dreach day.

P1010220.JPG


The path up into the forest heads south east then east climbing steadily.

P1010223.JPG


There is only one "fork" in the path shown on the map and it id fairly obvious that you continue on the track to the right rather than take the firebreak on the left.

P1010226.JPG


On my 50,000 map there is a break shown in the forest where you should turn right off the track and head up towards the hill. My 25,000 map shows no gap in the forest. In reality its half and half.

P1010238.JPG


Follow the path on the left and when you get to the trees at the end the path climbs steeply for about 20 metres. At the top of this rise turn right and follow the path through the trees and onto the hill.

P1010236.JPG


Out on the open hill its a very short climb to the first of 3 small tops each with there own particular view of either Loch Lomond, Helensburgh or the River Clyde.

P1010235.JPG


View over Loch Lomond

P1010234.JPG


View over Helensburgh and the Clyde Estuary

P1010230.JPG


For the return route you can retrace your steps. I decided to continue south west off the summit until the fence then turning left and following the fence make my way down to the low point between Ben Bowie and Gouk Hill. When you reach a gate in the fence turn left away from the fence (north west) and head back to the hairpin bend in the forest track. Then retrace your steps back to the start point.

P1010232.JPG

I always thought it was called Ben bouie?
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