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On Sunday 4th March 2012, Jim and Peter were joined by Dek and climbed Ben Vorlich from from the Inveruglas visitors centre. We went along the obligatory tarmaced road starting from the railway bridge, but swung up the smaller road to tackle the hill from the Loch Lomond side, a great move. We got the sun all the way up to the ridge, then a 20 minute blizzard and then up onto the top of the ridge, firstly doing the trig point and then the middle summit with the cairn (thankfully the highest, as we didn't tackle the 3rd top!)
We then followed the normal path back down the Loch Sloy side - christ that is steep in places, rejoining the road and heading back to the Inveruglas tourist centre car park.
Around 8 hours it took us, rather slow, but we did have photos and videos to take!
Dek loved his first time out with us - many more to come hopefully!
The route - up the front and down the back
A look ahead to the target for today:
Heading up to the Telecomms mast and Water intakes:
A look over to beautifully snow topped A'Chrois:
And up towards a lightly disted Vorlich Ridge:
Dek posing in front of Ben Venue:
Views of Loch Lomond start to open up:
Varying shades of light:
Ben Lomond peaks through:
The summit of Ben Vorlich becomes apparent:
Dek pushes on first:
Our first view of Loch Sloy and the dam:
The snow gets deeper toward the top:
A look back towards Ben Lomond:
Dek up top:
A frozen trig point at the first summit - next one being the real summit!
A look over to the Arrochar Alps:
The descent is relentless and steep (and eroded):
Getting there now, nice view over to Loch Sloy and the dam:
And a look back up to Ben Vorlich:
Ben Lomond looking magnificent in the late spring sunshine:
And finally the Sloy Hydro station:
Video of Ben Vorlich:
