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Again thanks to Walkhighlands for helping us find a dog friendly place to stay - The Bothy at Succoth, Arrochar.
The Bothy
The double yellow lines are probably here to stop walkers avoiding the steep charges at the lochside car park. I didn't check this but someone told me it was £11 for the day so you can understand folk looking for somewhere else to stash the car!
The afternoon we arrived we found a path across the road which led up through woods to a forestry track, this being part of the Succoth circuit, which we did several times over the week, it being a perfect length for our labrador pup who shouldn't be taken too long walks yet.
Path across the road from Bothy
Bluebells and wild garlic
Keira pup on forestry track
On the way down Loch Lomond we could see the slopes on the east side of the loch covered in swathes of lilac blue - something I've not consciously seen before. You normally associate bluebells with woodland but they seem to have burst out of their usual habitat.
The track led to the seat at the top of the first zig zag section on the way to Narnian, Ime and Cobbler.
Seat with view of Arrochar
I'd already been up this way twice before - with Moira and the dogs to climb Beinn Narnain and a couple of years later with Pete and the dogs to climb Beinn Ime. But we hadn't been up to the Cobbler and it felt plain wrong to be sitting at the foot of this path and not pay him a visit.
So we set off by our path through the bluebells to the forest track.
Right turn on to zig zag path
Loch Long from zig zag path
First sight of Cobbler
For the sake of nostalgia and because I still miss them here's one of Jack and Tess in 2011
I suggested that maybe we could reverse the WH route, going up by the front path and down by the path at the back, but Moira said she'd rather use the better path up and down, so that's what we did. Most people we saw were doing likewise.
Choice of ascent path from here
We discussed going up Beinn Ime, which Moira hadn't done and I was happy to repeat, but the low cloud wasn't making it a very appealing option and we thought unless it cleared we probably wouldn't.
The back way up the steps
Cloud sitting on Beinn an Lochain over by Rest and Be Thankful
Beinn Ime in cloud
If we'd come up the front path this is where we'd have reached the ridge
It's an interesting summit area which reminded a friend of the summit area of Mount Kenya when he climbed it, but on a smaller scale.
North peak of Cobbler
Central peak and true summit of Cobbler
The wind was blowing strongly so the guy we spoke to who had been up to the summit before wasn't going to bother this time. Then he changed his mind and went up and I just caught him making his way down again. Seeing the exposure involved it wasn't something either of us felt any need to do!
About to return through the eye of the needle
I walked along the path towards the south peak and looking back could see the summit area was becoming busy with various groups, one a university climbing club who were off to Narnain next.
The grassy backside of the Cobbler
Loch Long from path to South peak
It was cold so we didn't hang about for too long before finding a sheltered spot for a bite to eat and retracing our steps down the stone stairway. On the way down we met a young couple from Glasgow out on their first hill walk who asked how much further it was to the top. Really hope they made it as they were looking fair puggled.
Ben Lomond peeking through
Long winding path
Now cloud free
Ben Lomond
Loch Long
It was good to have finally made the acquaintance of Arthur, even if we left out the scramble to the top of the highest point. As with Stac Pollaidh there are times when as Shakespeare's Fallstaff said "The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life."
Knowing one's limitations sounds like good sense to me.
