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From the Inveruglas car park, the walk up the tarmac track towards Coiregrogain was very pleasant, and it was not raining! Normally I’m not a huge fan of walking on tarmac in walking boots. I find it a bit hard on the feet, especially when the feet have become used to soft, peaty ground. Not having to watch my step now, I could stare at Ben Vane and look on the map to locate its characteristics, without the risk of disappearing in a peat bog, tripping over loose stones or knocking my toes on the rock. Just behind me there were three other walkers.
- Hm, looks a bit rough
The bit towards and after the first ‘hump’ was very boggy, however I made good progress. Over the years (on walks through the Pennines and Northwest Scotland) I have become quite good at reading bog!
Once on the real ascent it started drizzling. The way up with the huge crags ahead looked steep and daunting. But I told myself that I only would have to deal with that the moment I arrived there. It was still far ahead.
- Oh dear!
I looked down and saw that the other three walkers were making their way up the first hump. When I looked back next, they were making their way down again to return to Coiregrogain ( I assume)! And a bit further to my left, suddenly a walker had appeared out of nothing! He must have ran up, because I didn’t see him when I started off.
- Crags, crags and more crags
By now the real work had begun (and the rain too). It was steep, it was rocky, it was craggy, but somehow there was always a way through and up. Only at one point I had to stop and think how to tackle the next move: a high step at shoulder height. The alternative would have been up along a huge wet rock slab at quite a steep angle without any proper ridges to get your boots stuck in, and I didn’t fancy that at all.
I managed to scramble up and mused that it would be ‘interesting’ going down the same way. From then it was relatively easy going to the summit. It had stopped raining and the views from the summit were good.
The other walker was going on to Ben Ime and Beinn Narnain. Ben Vorlich, my next target for the day, looked really close.
- Almost touching it!
On the way down I managed to avoid the high step, but of course was now faced with the huge-wet-rock-slab-at-quite-a-steep-angle. It wasn’t too bad actually, sitting and gently shuffling down on my backside.
I had decided to climb up Ben Vorlich from the road leading to the Loch Sloy dam, as walking most of the way back and then going via Ben Vorlich’s south ridge just seemed demoralising. According to some walk reports it is not that obvious where the path leaves the road. I had the grid reference for the path and simply counted the electricity pylons in between Coiregrogain and where I had marked the path on the map. This way I knew when to start looking properly.
The way up was steep and endless but without any difficulties. The first third of the path is quite wet in places and it sometimes disappears in the bog. After that the path becomes quite good. But it is a long climb.
With the sun out now it was getting hot. After what seemed like ages I reached the summit ridge and half an hour later I was on the summit. There I met a couple who had walked up from Ardlui. That must have been a massive walk! The views from the summit were absolutely stunning.
- Walkers making their way back to Ardlui
- That's Ben Lomond in the distance!
It was a shame to have to turn back, but I had a long and hard way down ahead of me.
Back at Inveruglas I was really tired. It had been a long and wonderful day.