Ben Vane - Short and Sharp!

[EuanWardrop]

A bit of a late call on Friday afternoon but with Dad being free and the days getting shorter we were keen to try and get out and, for me at least, get the last of the Arrochar Alps.

We arrived at Inveruglas for 8 and got one of the last remaining spaces, I thought we were pretty sharp but clearly quite a few were up already.

Setting off along the road was a good way to warm up a bit before turning under the railway and starting to climb the road towards the dam.

I was a little wary that the cows would be on the road as they had been when we done Vorlich but thankfully they were a little off the road. Cooper had not been a fan and I think the feeling was mutual from the cows!

As we passed the substation we got our first view of Vane, a fine looking mountain, though it was still slightly hidden. I had hoped for a bit clearer weather but can't complain as there was very little rain.

Ben Vane in the cloud

We headed up and turned over the bridge, after a few hundred metres we turned off of the road and onto the hill proper.

It is pretty steep to begin with and doesn't really stop! There is a shoulder that is reached quite quickly which gives a bit of a break! After this the climb kicks up again and doesn't really stop until you are over 700m! We pushed on at a good pace but took a few short breaks. We were getting some lovely views back down over Loch Lomond and these were constantly changing as we gained height quickly.

Ben Lomond

There were a few bigger steps on this areas but nothing too major. Coming towards the first false summit (there are a few!) the path turns to the left and this leads to more sharp steps and a few boggy areas as the path undulates slightly. We pushed on again and on the rise to the final false summit encountered the hardest scramble. Again nothing too major and there was a good path round to the left of the one bad step which we used.

After dropping his treat in a bog....

We came to the last ascent before the summit and could see there was a few different routes available. There is a large exposed slab which was a little tricky as we took the most direct route, to the left hand side. It was quite slippery and steep but we took our time and were up to the summit! It was pretty closed in up here and the wind we had previously been sheltered from was blowing very strong. We didn't hang about too long here and soon dropped down past the slab to stop and have our lunch.

Cooper on the Scrounge!

After a good break we started to descend, the path up was getting much busier and everyone was very friendly and chatty, probably happy to stop for a break!! Cooper was in his element as there was a fair few dogs about. We also met two couples who thought they were doing Ben Vorlich but had ended up on Vane instead!!

We quickly dropped back down to the first shoulder where we met a couple of guys who were hauling their bikes up with the plan of riding them back down! Not sure how much higher up they went but I wouldn't fancy riding down that path!

After the steep descent the smooth road was a great relief and it was in no time at all. A swim to clean off Cooper and we were back on the road home.

Another great day in the hills complete!