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Days and days of hot, sunny weather in Scotland... and days and days of work commitments prevented us from getting into the hills, even at the weekends. Fortunately, a couple of days off finally materialised, just before the weather was set to break at the end of the week. Midweek gave us an option to finally explore Ben Lomond, on a day when hopefully it wouldn't be at its busiest.
Rather than drive to Rowardennan, we headed up the A82 to Tarbet and hopped on the 8.45am ferry - seemed a nice way to start a walk!
All calm on the loch...
The Cobbler and Narnain looking fine:
After landing (unexpectedly) at the tiny jetty by the Youth Hostel, we headed north on the West Highland Way, soon turning onto the narrower path towards the Ptarmigan Ridge (doing the walkhighlands route in reverse). Good views back, and relatively cool in the morning sunshine, for now.
Looking uphill, I think a waterfall (Sput Ban) can usually be seen in the trees, but after all the dry weather the stream had nearly dried up!
The climb is steady, but never a slog. Views north along the loch:
Across to Glen Douglas, the caravan park a bit of an eyesore:
South towards the Boundary Fault islands:
Finally Ben Lomond's summit came into view ahead:
On the ascent we saw a few different lizards, out basking in the sunshine. One in particular seemed completely nonplussed, posing patiently before finally scampering off:
On the more shapely part of the ridge at around 700m, Ben Lomond looked increasingly impressive:
So did the Arrochar Alps:
Only a short section of the ridge is steep - the last climb before the summit. Thankfully west-facing, the snow had all melted, making it an easy climb:
Only at this point, on the steep section, did we pass the first other walkers of the day. The summit was a stark contrast, with several groups sitting around in the vicinity - although the trig point itself was quiet. What a view!
The descent on the main, touristy path didn't quite match those on the ascent, with Ben Lomond a bit ungainly on this side:
Huge numbers of people now heading up, and the temperature was still climbing steadily (it was only just after midday). There's no shade at all on this stretch - the Ptarmigan Ridge does at least have a few useful shady spots in the morning, before the sun gets around to the west.
Towards the bottom, Ben Lomond regains its good looks:
In the trees close to Rowardennan, we were lucky to spot an adder moving slowly across a fallen tree branch - strikingly beautiful, and the first we've seen apart from a sadly dead one near Conachcraig. It was off into the dense undergrowth before the camera could come out! We did get a photo of the branch though
We reached the car park at Rowardennan at about 2pm - perfect timing for late lunch at the Rowardennan Hotel. The food was a bit disappointing, but it was still satisfying sitting in the scorching sunshine, having got down before the hottest part of the day. Afterwards we headed slowly back towards the jetty, stopping to test how cold the loch was (very!), lie on the beach etc.
Back on the ferry at 4.45pm, before the easy drive home.
Perfect tonic to a couple of weeks stuck in the city!
