After longing for some more outdoor adventuring which wasn't camping, I decided to climb a big hill instead - keep it interesting. Ben Lomond is my first Munro, but it definitely won't be the last.

We started off in 28°C heat on 26/05/2017 having been dropped off with no sure guarantee that that lift was ever going to come back to get us. 3 bottles of water, a bag of almonds and a can of cider to boot - we set off from Rowardennan and instantly regretted every decision that has led to this moment in the space of 15 minutes. The heat and open skies made it sweatier and smellier than a gym changing room but, tiring rapidly, we plodded on. One of us being a PT and Fitness Gym Instructor and the other being the furthest from it (me), I figured this would be a simple jaunt for her and nightmare for me. Half-way up, her calves have given out and I'm trying to run the rest of the distance.

Of course, the higher you climb - the easier it gets or so they say. When the wind started picking up, it was like being reborn again with this ridiculous energy boost to go further than even the peak. Many false hills and wondering why other walkers were disappearing continually ruined me when I finally discovered just how much further there was to go. Before long, we could see others walking on the ridge and right then we knew we would make it.

Standard can of cider to make it worth it - even if it was just a touch over 400°C to taste.

I wasn't able to grab many pictures on the way up due to my phone kicking the bucket early on, but got a few nice ones on the second-half and top. Now on to the next one - at least with a little bit more public transport.