You Want More?
Apparently Angus wasn’t quite done after his first ever Munro last time out, as he decided to walk 10km with his mum the very same day! So with that level of fitness, I was quick to invite him back out the following weekend with Nathan and myself. This time I thought we’d push the boat out a bit further and try a longer and harder Munro. Having only recently discovered the Arrochar Alps, I was intrigued to discover how close and easy they were to get to! This would be our first visit to the other side of Loch Lomond, and the boys were very keen, especially when they found out it the forecast was for a cloud free summit!
Another Early Start!
Although not quite Spring, and with plenty of snow still about, I saw some pictures on Facebook 0f virtually snow-free Ben Vorlich summit, and decided it would be ideal to bag it given the conditions. It would be a nice step-up from the previous week for the boys, and good little introduction to the Scottish Alps! However, I really struggled to get out of bed for that morning. I definitely think that if I didn’t have Angus and Nathan desperate to go out and do another Munro, I would’ve stayed in my bed. The drive through wasn’t too bad, and we made good time through the city of Glasgow before heading up and over the Erskine bridge and onto our destination.
Thankfully the car park was still pretty empty, but unfortunately I forgot to bring any change for the parking meter, and it wouldn’t accept my contactless! I decided to risk it regardless, and after taking a few pics in the car park ,we set off back along the road we’d just driven to begin the 4km walk in to the bottom of Ben Vorlich.
For this Munro I was also trying out some new Nike Trail trainers. With size 13 feet, I struggle to get anything good that fits, so I when I do see a pair of size 13 I almost always buy them! I’d seen Anna Wells use trail running shoes for her Munro round, and to be honest, with my condition (HNPP), the lighter the shoe the less foot-drop I get. So compared to my big heavy Jack Wolfskin walking shoes, these trail shoes felt utterly amazing along the nice tarmac road that led us towards Loch Sloy and the dam.
It was still pretty early, and we didn’t see that many people on the walk in. The boys kept a slower pace behind me, chatting away, but this also gave me the opportunity to setup the camera and new dji gimbal to get some shots. Matt had also been kind enough to lend me his extra batteries for his drone, so I knew I didn’t have to worry about rationing the drone use to save the battery. I tried to plan ahead in my head, but as long as I got some footage from the top, I’d be happy.
As usual, Angus was wearing his ever present Mario cap, and Nathan was still loving his Big Bobble hat from none other than Nathan Macqueen. We were all dressed up for winter conditions, but the forecast was looking good, with little wind, and a predicted 3 degrees on the summit. Cloud level was also looking good, with Ben Lomond proudly displaying its peak across the calm waters of Loch Lomond.
The views on the walk in were excellent. You soon quickly forget you are only a few miles away from town, as you get enveloped with A’ Chrois on your left, and Vorlich on your right sucking you into a valley with the Loch Sloy dam appearing in the distance. There’s a left turn about 3km in that takes you to Ben Vane, but we were continuing on for another kilometer. Some people do both Vorlich and Vane in the same day, and I can see why, with the walk in and back out, doing both on the same day would definitely make life easier.
A Friggin Mountain Goat!
We got to the starting point of our climb; a sharp right off the road that went straight up the side of the mountain. I told the boys to stop, have a drink or something sugary to eat, take a layer off and prepare for the hard part. I didn’t listen to my own advice and forgot to take a layer off, but I did partake in an energy gel to give me a little boot up the hill. About 200m up I was sweating profusely and still adamant I wasn’t taking off a layer. My stubbornness earned me a humbling moment as I looked up to see Angus a good 100m further up the hill. He was like a frigging mountain goat!
By the time Nathan and I had caught up with Angus we were veering further left and navigating up some sketchy scree paths. Angus had started to flag, and I knew from looking at the route we were still a fair bit away from the summit, but I kept telling the boys we were almost there. Their pace had slowed and Nathan was constantly having to coax Angus onward. I had been in my own world, plodding upwards, but always keeping them within sight. Whenever I did stop to let them catch up, it did give me the opportunity to get the drone up and film them, and see exactly how far there was to go.
I Promise This Time!
“Angus has stopped and says he’s wanting lunch!” Nathan shouted at me as Angus sat down in the middle of the path and took off his back pack.
” I promise you, the summit is literally a football pitch away, just over this bit!” I shouted back, pointing at the small hill that I knew led to the summit. I guess with a lot of things in life, if you can see the prize it’s a lot easier to aim for it. I remember doing the other Ben Vorlich, and because you could always see where you were aiming for it was much easier to see your progress. So without being able to see the summit, I can understand the boys’ frustration. I had seen the prize and wanted them to share my enthusiasm. Plus, it wasn’t even lunch time yet!
I managed to persuade them both with a promise of a great view out of the wind for lunch, but only after we got to the summit. After stopping for a water break, next to a tiny lochen, we marched on for our final ascent to the top. The last push took around 20 minutes, and although we got fantastic views, it was pretty cold up top. After posing for some pictures and throwing snowballs around once again, we headed back down off the summit, retracing our steps down towards the steep section that led back down to the road to the dam.
Lunch with a View
Once we’d walked the shallow descent and scrambled down the first of the scree, we spotted a nice plateau off to the right of the main path. After a hop, skip and a jump we nipped across, well out of anybody’s way, and set up for a spot of well earned lunch! I was surprised to get a decent mobile signal, so setup a live stream on TikTok, where Nathan was actually chatting to a few of his football pals. With the boys happy with themselves in front, chatting and munching away, it gave me time to reflect on our little achievement. We’d played it safe last week, took it a step up this week, and they’ve managed great so far. I was proud of them both. My little hiking buddies. Without them wanting to come out that day, I don’t think I would’ve been there. Now all that was left to do was the descent and the 4km walk back to the car.
I'm out of Control!
Now hear me out. I like my hiking shoes, I really do, but with my drop foot I do find them very heavy after about 5 miles of walking. I can only liken it to walkingf with concrete filled shoes. So with these new Nike Trail shoes weighing half of my Jack Wolfskin ones, I was really enjoying the walk. Yes, they weren’t as grippy as my hiking shoes on the scree, but they were very controllable. I could place my feet a lot better and ultimately descend much quicker than I normally would. So much quicker in fact, that not only did I start to enjoy the downhill, but people were actively getting out my way. To be fair though, with my drop-foot, or flappy feet as my kids call it, I can make a bit of a racket. So a large, heaving breathing man, with seemingly out of control feet coming down the side of a mountain, some people might notice.
When I l0oked back at the Strava stats my highest heart rate came on the descent, so I must have been really tanking it down, and to be fair it was probably my favourite part of the day. Being able to actually jog downhill without the fear of my feet tripping me up, because I was always going downhill, was great! What wasn’t great was my right knee. Too much impact on the downhill had definitely flared it up again. Sticks, Mark, sticks! I must remember them for next time, even if I keep them just for the downhill. As someone has already told me, my knees will thank you in the future. I do hope that maybe in 20 years I might have an artificial knee instead!
The 4km walk back to the car was uneventful, and the water looked far too cold for a celebratory dip, even although Angus was still up for it! Overall a grand day out and the boys did really well. At least I now know they’re both capable of a full Munro from bottom to top, not just a half one like last week. What one shall we do next? Or should we recruit more kids for the adventure?
