Sunday 11th October 2009 and Ben Vane at Loch Lomond was the single munro of choice today. Doing it by myself.
Parked up at the Inveruglas visitor centre and walked it down past the Sloy Power Station and under the railway. Followed the road (locked by a big gate, so no driving down it!) avoiding the numerous cow pats until the fork for Ben Vane. A majorly boggy section ensued but by the time you hit the distinctive path the route gets much better.
It's pretty steep but no exposure - very enjoyable actually. You gain height quickly and there are many false summits. Then, near the top there is a bit of cracking scrambling (again no exposure here at all), and then you are on the large plateau summit. Looks good to combine this one with Ime and Narnain.
I just stayed at the top for ages taking photos of the changing conditions. The autumnal colours over at Ben Lomond were superb.
Trace back the same path to descend.
After hitting the boggy section at the bottom I spent a few minutes in the river getting my boots cleaned. The walk out back to the Inveruglas carpark took much longer than expected. I had a deadline to be home and got stopped for speeding through Dumbarton by an unmarked police motorbike. He let me off with a warning, nice man.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wqvD53f4RY[/youtube]
Warning
Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.