Ben Lui

[grantus]

First day out in the big hills since 2017 but had a few trips in the campsies and ochils in the intervening period. Covid has put the brakes on anything this year other than a solitary trip up The Law and Ben Cleuch 5 weeks ago. Decided to just go for one of the best yesterday and it certainly didn't disappoint. The view to Ben Lui from the walk in from Dalrigh must be hard to surpass. The corrie and the mountain itself appear impenetrable even once the ascent into the corrie begins.

We missed the fork on the path where you strike right onto the ridge and ended up pretty much at the bottom of central gully. It didn't look too bad from inside the corrie but we decided to cut across and scramble up a grassy chute to where I knew the path would have brought us onto the ridge had we followed it with the proviso that we would take a look down central gully from the top and decide if it was doable next time. I'm glad we made this decision as looking down from the top it would appear that any simple slip could have serious consequences.

Anyhow we struck up the grassy chute and came upon the path around 50m ascent from the ridge. Once on the ridge the views all around were fantastic but the best of the day were not to be had until much later.

At this point I found myself feeling a bit uneasy as the northerly wind from which we had been sheltered in the corrie now became very strong and I felt a sense of vertigo coming over me when I looked back down into the corrie. It's a strange sensation as the thought of scrambling up directly onto the ridge hadn't phased me yet standing on solid ground 10 yards away from the corrie rim being buffeted by the wind made me very unsteady. I had to sit down around the 950m level as the path skirts a sheer drop into the corrie. A fall here would most definitely be fatal and the path is literally inches from the edge. Regardless of the wind blowing me in towards the hill I really didn't like it. I was unpleasantly surprised by this as I read a lot of reports in advance of going (first time to this peak) and not one mentioned exposure. Perhaps I'm too nervous but I went up Stuc a chronic NE buttress and couldn't see what all the fuss was about. That's not bravado as I really don't like exposure at all. I went round this part of the path like a 4 legged spider. Must have been a sorry sight.

The summit was gained before too long and the sun came out offering fantastic views in all directions. Just before the summit I saw another walker standing at the very edge.on a small rocky platform which gave me the fear again. I stopped and took a zoomed photo. Perhaps the brave soul will recognise themselves? It was around 10am.

A few pics on the top. Beinn a Chleib looked a bridge too far so we went off to the beach between Lui and Oss. Oss was reached within 60 minutes. My pal was struggling by this time and I assured him Oss was the last climbing of the day. He cursed me frequently thereafter. I told him we would drop down the shoulder of beinn dubhcraig, cross the cononish river and pick up the outward path back to the car park. Of course by the time we reached the beach most.of the climbing was indeed then done so we made the third.munro summit before dropping back to the beach and taking possibly the muddiest and most technically demanding descent path back to the start. On fresh legs I'd have enjoyed running this but my legs were worn out by now and I kept jarring my knee so it was a fairly pitiful walk/trot/slither back down. I definitely wouldn't fancy this as an ascent. It took us 90 minutes to get.down. my buddy really suffering by now. The best views of the day were probably from Beinn Dubhcraig straight down Loch Lomond and to the Crianlarich Munros although the jewel in the crown was from the last bealach back to the magnificent Ben Lui, the sun striking the flank of the hill and casting a shadow into the corrie which emphasised it's grandeur. Fantastic day out and I'm sure it won't be three years until the next one.

[grantus]

Beach = bealach