Ben Lomond and Scotch Mist

View from below Ben Lomond7.6 miles 974m ascent 5h 4m

Fortified with the full Scottish Breakfast we set off on our Halloween walk. The weather looked clear but as we drove along Loch Lomond low cloud gradually became low lying mist.

It was in a dusting of mist that our trek began from the car park at Rowardennan. Five minutes on the flat then a right turn to begin a slow climb. Apparently there is a swimming pool thereabouts but I didn’t see it. It took about half an hour to climb out of the mist and you’ll see from the photo gallery that the exertion had warmed us up nicely, with perspiration and glistening (depending on gender) for all concerned.

Even at these early and low level stages there were fine sunlit views of the mist covered loch and the Cobbler with its surrounding hills. The higher we climbed the more impressive the views became. The path was narrow but in good repair, clear and free of the mudbaths we see closer to home.

We made our way past a rocky outcrop which the OS has marked as Tom Fithich. An interesting name since this is where we first spotted a large black bird with a croaking call. The bird seemed to follow us all the way to Ptarmigan and at times came close enough for us to get a good look at it. Having trawled the internet, looked at pictures and listened to the sounds of various birds, I’m convinced this was a raven. Then when I looked up “Tom Fithich” I found it is gaelic for Raven Knoll. Is that weird or what?

From the Raven Knoll, Ptarmigan itself is visible with the path meandering up towards it and becoming a little steeper. I think I had perfected the mcmahon trudge on this section. Steady yet slow enough to avoid the need for many pauses. I don’t actually have much trouble going slowly, it’s more about overcoming the psychological need to keep up with those ahead and not worry about slowing down those behind. Once on Ptarmigan we posed for pictures, rehydrated then set off along the ridge to Ben Lomond. From Ptarmigan the hills to the north were visible and seemed to stretch into the distance for ever. The photos don’t do the views justice.

Ptarmigan didn’t have any visible ptarmigans on it. The Pt part of the name is apparently a misspelling introduced 400 years ago, the gaelic name for the bird being tarmachan.

The path from Ptarmigan crosses the Bealach Buidhe (the yellow pass) and leads to some rocky steps and then a short scramble to the summit of Ben Lomond. It was a satisfying achievement and we had some extensive views until the cloud started to darken and spread. The climb had taken us about 3 hours. The packed lunches were welcome by this time and the sandwiches proved to be more manageable (in other words, I was able to eat the whole thing.) It did feel much colder despite adding extra layers and I suspect the weather had begun to turn.

Ben Lomond summit

Ben Lomond summit

Heading down, the rain kept threatening, with the odd droplet arriving now and again. Enough to keep the jackets on and cause a little overheating. After the excitement of the climb our downward trek seemed a bit of an anticlimax and did seem to drag on a bit, but perhaps that was tiredness creeping in. We had seen a steam train the day before and this walk was graced by sight of a seaplane taking off from the Loch.

The car was a welcome sight when we got back down. But, alas, the toilets were shut so we were forced to stop at a pub (for coffee and tea).

A great walk. Good choice, David. I’m not sure how we can follow that. Our local walks will seem either a little less exciting or a great deal muddier.

 

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