Tuesday 27 April 2010

Popularity Contest



Sunday's trip had been on the cards for a while. The intention was to get Ben Lomond out of the way. As the most climbed mountain in Scotland, we wanted to add it's summit to our "conquered" list quite early on.

So, with a few other bodies on board, Sunday the 25th Arpil had arrived and it was time to go. After the mistake of last time, I ensured I was up early with breakfast consumed. So after getting ready and scoffing the bacon bagels, it was time to depart.

The trip to Rowardennan took about 1 hr and 20 minutes. When we arrived we parked in the car park at the pier and the trail started just behind the public toilets/information kiosk. After getting ready we set off about 09:05 in an upwards direction.

Being the most climbed, Ben Lomond has a distinct path the whole way up. The overall ascent was pretty good. There was a good balance of steep bits, steady shallow bits and flat bits.

There wasn't many folk on the hill on the way up so we just assumed the wweather had driven people away. We only really met a handful of people on the way up but one of the encounters propmpted us to stop. They had just came down from the summit and they said the visibility just dips and the wind picks right up so we stopped where we were for a bite and put on an extra layer in preparation for the final leg. At this point we reckoned we were no more than 23 of the way up. However, we got a pleasant surprise when we checked the GPS on the iPhone and it told us we were at 850m with only the final approach to the summit ahead of us.

So, after the food and more clothes, it was time to go for the finish. We got there just about 12:00, but you couldn't see a thing so we didn't hang about long.



A couple of photos later and it was departure just before 12:10. As with all hills, getting to the top is only half the battle and you have to navigate the descent. This one was not bad, but the rocky paths and stairs required extra care for your footing.

On the way down, we finally agreed thast it was th emost popular. There was bus loads of folk heading up as we were going down. We must have passed an average of 4 folk every couple of minutes.

We got to the car park about 14:10 and after a quite freshen up it was time for lunch. A short drive later and we found ourselves in the Winnock Hotel in Drymen for some refreshments and lunch.



So all in all, it was a good day. Weather wasn't ideal but not so bad that it hindered the experience and the bite to eat at the end was beautiful. Thanks for all that took part and see you next time.

2010-04-25 - Ben Lomond
  • Stumble This Post
  • Save Tis Post To Delicious
  • Share On Reddit
  • Fave On Technorati
  • Buzz This Post
  • Tweet This Post
  • Digg This Post
  • Share On Facebook

Sunday 18 April 2010

The Wrong Way Up



There was some chat about heading up a hill today but a long lie was long overdue for me so decided to call it off in preparation for next week's trek up Ben Lomond.

However, to not be completely idle today, I decided to take a walk up Lyle Hill but started from the Gourock side. This is known as the wrong side. It achieves the overall height but over a shorter distance resulting in a continious steep acent until you get to the war memorial.

I took the camera up with me but it was quite overcast and nothing really eventful happened. So no pics today.
  • Stumble This Post
  • Save Tis Post To Delicious
  • Share On Reddit
  • Fave On Technorati
  • Buzz This Post
  • Tweet This Post
  • Digg This Post
  • Share On Facebook

And They're Off!!



The big event of this weekend was Saturday - my first ever trip to the races. One week after the Grand National at Aintree, it was time for the Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse.

We had a minibus booked and set off up the M8 just after 10 until we had to turn back and pick up some forgotten tickets. When we got back in Greenock we decided to take the coast road down.

It didn't take long for the course to fill up and the first race to begin. It was a great atmosphere. Eight races later and most of us hadn't even broke even. Time to head inside and listen to the post race entertainment until pick up time.

So all in all, a great day out. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a good experience and a good day out if you can get a group together.
  • Stumble This Post
  • Save Tis Post To Delicious
  • Share On Reddit
  • Fave On Technorati
  • Buzz This Post
  • Tweet This Post
  • Digg This Post
  • Share On Facebook

Sunday 11 April 2010

Panoramic Vistas




After a couple of weeks off, it was back to the hills for a Saturday visit. Our intended target was Ben Vane in the Arrocher Alps. And what a glorious surprise it was when I woke up on Saturday morning. The weather was absolutely spectacular so it put a spring in my step before even beginning.

The starting point was the Inveruglas Visitor Centre. We got there just after 08:20 and by the time we sorted ourselves and got kitted up it was time to start the trek about 08:40. This was set to be a different experience for me. Where the other hills I have done recently have been short sharp bursts of ascent with awee bit of flat and not much scrambling. This was a different game. After the 2½ mile flat walk from the visitor centre we hit the base of Ben Vane and from here on in, it was 3 hours of constant upwards slog. About half way up we stopped for a sandwich and chocolate bar and just enjoy the view before what was to come.



The next half was undoubtedly tougher. A good bit of scrambling was involved and an almost vertical verge just before we got to the summit. It certainly got the adrenaline running. But it was all worth it. The pain in the legs and tough breathing was a small price to pay for reaching the top. A hefty size plateau, with a few folk already on it enjoying the weather, lay before us. We were at 100% visibility with the sun shining and Scottish scenery as far as the eye could see. So that was Munro number 2 for me.



As it was such a lovely we were able to sit at the top and take a few pics have a rest and take more food and drink onboard before deciding to set off on the descent. This was going to be one tough descent - and it was. A lot of loose rock and more scrambling was ahead of us.

We eventually got to the base of the hill with the flat hike back to the car park ahead of us. Looking back we were afforded good views of what we just conquered.



The last leg on the flat should have been the easy bit but it wasn't. That track felt as if it went on forever but eventually out of nowhere, a road sign. The ice cream cone and can of Irn-Bru were within touching distance.



So, the end of another weekend's hiking adventure. Thanks to Grant and Rona for their company and as always, you can click on the link below to see the full album that has been uploaded to Picasa. Also, the panorama pic of Loch Lomond at the top of the page is clickable to see it fullsize.

2010-04-10 - Ben Vane
  • Stumble This Post
  • Save Tis Post To Delicious
  • Share On Reddit
  • Fave On Technorati
  • Buzz This Post
  • Tweet This Post
  • Digg This Post
  • Share On Facebook