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Video of adventure:
Ben Lomond by Kayak
Gathering dust, my kayak had been in hiding for way too long, so we came up with an adventure to get the big orange piece of plastic back active again! We had talked about this for some time and when some beautiful calm weather arrived, it seemed appropriate to give this a bash
The hills were going to be busy and Ben Lomond would certainly see lots of footfall today but our route was “around the back” and as such we didn’t expect to see many other enthusiasts until later in the day. Setting off from Tarbet, the weather was looking ok – unfortunately the Loch wasn’t flat calm but was calm enough and we enjoyed the paddle across to Cailness with the sun occasionally showing itself. The rain also made an appearance and this certainly wasn’t forecast, however it was a fleeting shower and as we scoured the eastern shores for a place to leave our transport it fizzled out and the breeze died with it.
After finding a little bay to leave the boats, we quickly changed and set about heading up the hillside. Initially we had planned to follow the track up from Cailness and cut across the face of Cruinn a’ Bheinn, but as we crossed the loch we decided to take a more direct route and follow the southern shoulder that runs beside the Cailness burn. Gaitered up, we broke trail through the dead bracken (note – nothing really to recommend this route and in the summer it may be a nightmare with ferns (and ticks!!)). The best thing about his route was the views behind us. The Arrochar Alps towered above the loch and looked fine with their winter coat on!
Arrochar Alps by
Scotland's Mountains, on Flickr
Higher up and we soon got a view of our intended destination, the sun was shining now and Ben Lomond looked great. The bracken was now a memory, however it was now replaced by a mixture of knee deep heather and when that didn’t hinder our progress the bog certainly did . Progress was tiresome and to say we were happy to reach the snow line would have been an understatement. Our packs were heavy as we had all our tools and rope in case we found a route in the corrie, it was slow and a lot of jelly babies were required !
Crossing the northern spur of Ben Lomond and the views was fantastic. A little cloud sat on the summit and we could see the shafts of light through the cloud were people were standing on the top , probably looking at their own Broken Spectres. The snow was ok and as the terrain steepened we got the crampons and axes out. The next section was fun, but care was required as we were now on steep ground, making our way to meet the Ptarmigan Ridge nearer the summit.
Ptarmigan Ridge by
Scotland's Mountains, on Flickr
The sun and a grand vista welcomed our arrival on the ridge and the loch sparkled in the sun to the south. The path had been trampled to a solid neve and the going was great. Through the pearly gates and a final few scrambly moves saw us reach the crowds on the summit. Not a breath of wind and everyone was having a grand time. A short descent down the Ptarmigan ridge then f llowed and we found a lunch spot with a view. Neither of us wished to leave our picnic spot in a hurry as we knew what lay between us and the boats – lots of rough ground!!
Anyway heads down and off we tramped, back down the northern spur and re-entering the bog ! However as we descended by the Cailness Burn, we could see the Loch now resembled a mirror and we were relishing the kayak back across. An extremely fine paddle home and a fine way to end a grand adventure
Tarbet across Loch Lomond by
Scotland's Mountains, on Flickr
The Cobbler by
Scotland's Mountains, on Flickr
Loch Lomond after a fine paddle by
Scotland's Mountains, on Flickr
