Ben Vorlich

Sunday 17th April 2022

After a difficult journey to Scotland that was ruined as soon as I got to my first railway station thanks to a cancelled train, I eventually reached the Highland village of Arrochar at the head of Loch Long and in the heart of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. When I got up the following morning it was wet and drizzly with low cloud, which is not the sort of weather that prompts you to head up a mountain, but as the rain eased I set off from Arrochar along the route of the Loch Lomond and Cowal Way. Soon I joined the route of the Three Lochs Way up Glen Loin, which is not a great valley to be walking up as it is farmed and has the tiny village of Succoth within, but the path kept to the woodland edge and was decorated with primroses. Eventually the farmland was left behind to pass into wilder surroundings that were much more pleasant to walk through, despite the rain that was soon back and several lines of electricity pylons that also make their way through the valley. I was previously in this area in 2007 when I spent the Easter weekend walking up some of the Arrochar Alps and on the Sunday, in weather that was not much better than now, I headed up Glen Loin. Back then I was obsessed with going up mountains, but now I have discovered the delights of long distance trails partly because the weather doesn’t matter, so the grey overcast skies and drizzle that I was enduring while walking up Glen Loin failed to affect my enthusiasm for the walk.

If I had been doing either of the two long distance trails that pass through Glen Loin then I would have pressed on oblivious to the weather, but I wanted to go up a mountain on this walk and for that the weather is critical as strong wind and rain would make it a horrible experience. To get the best out of going up a mountain you need clear weather, good views and light winds and it has been my repeated failure to get those things in Britain that has put me off going up mountains. The path through Glen Loin climbs over a low rock-filled pass before deteriorating as it moves beside a conifer plantation and down into the valley of Inveruglas. At this point in 2007 I turned left, towards Ben Vane, on an excellent path that I have good memories of, but to my right was Ben Vorlich, which is a mountain I have never done before and was actually why I had come to the Arrochar Alps. When I saw Abbie Barnes of Spend More Time In The Wild go up Ben Vorlich on a video she posted on YouTube last year, I was motivated to plan a holiday in the Arrochar Alps and walk up this mountain, which is why it was the first place I went to on my holiday. Therefore, I ignored Ben Vane and headed along the Loch Sloy service road approaching the imposing dam for the reservoir where a clear path, though not marked on maps, leaves the road to climb the hillside.

Initially on good rock steps that reminded me of the Lake District, this is a very steep path that had me stopping frequently to catch my breath possibly because it is a long time since I last climbed a mountain and I have not adequately maintained my fitness over the winter. As I climbed the steep hillside it seemed the sky was brightening up, which made me hopeful that the clouds would lift and I would get a view from the top of the mountain. Walkers are always hopeful! The path was mixed with some good sections and others that were boggy or with loose stones while on others I scrambled up glorious rocks, until finally I plunged into the clouds as the gradient eased and I passed long a fabulously craggy ridge that made me realise what is so great about climbing a mountain even when the mist is down as the craggy ground made up for the lack of a view. Beyond the crags the ridge broadened and briefly the clouds parted to reveal a view that was extra special for its fleeting nature, though it promised better things to come. First I had to turn my back on that and head towards the summit into the thick clouds to the trig point, which I knew was not the summit so I kept going along the ridge and after a dip I reached the summit of the Munro.

It was very cold and windy at the top so I soon turned around and headed back down. It amazes me how otherworldly it always feels at the top of a mountain with completely different temperature and weather conditions to how it had been in the valley, and this is part of the appeal of being at the top of a mountain, even when you don’t have a view. As I descended the way I had come up, the clouds soon lifted to reveal stunning views south towards Loch Lomond, while the descent took me back past isolated patches of snow, through the craggy terrain and down the steep path that is at times boggy, eroded or on manufactured steps all the way back down to the service road. Half way down it felt so warm compared to the top of the mountain that I took my cagoule off. Since it was not even three o’clock by the time I reached the service road I decided it was too early to head straight back to Arrochar, so I branched onto a track that passes below Ben Vane into Coire Grogain on a signposted Glen Loin Circuit. Ahead of me was Beinn Ime, which I'd climbed in 2007 with Ben Vane, and after crossing the burn I walked along forestry tracks below Beinn Narnain, which I’d climbed the day before in 2007. It was quite cold inside these conifer plantations, which prompted me to put my cagoule back on, but this was a very relaxing way to end the walk. My journey up to Scotland and the wet start to the day may not have helped, but, with the cloud slowly lifting, this walk was a wonderful way to return to Scotland and showed me that mountains do have their appeal even though they are prone to the fickle Scottish weather.