Hillwalking Thread

[Reynard]

Dunno when I'll get back out next - maybe some dry weekend in November or something.

I am planning on doing that as well. I have never had a dry day since I started this hillwalking malarkey. It has always been pissing down.

I can`t wait to get to the top of a mountain and actually be able to see something

[CC 33]

Started doing a bit hillwalking this summer and was up Ben Cleuch last week. Haven't managed to do any munro's yet but thinking about getting one in this wednesday or next. Anyone any suggestions on on a good hill ?

[Middleton Mouse]

I did Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn) today with the intention of doing Stuc A Chroin was well but didn't fancy the scramble up wet rock.

Vorlich was quite easy, was up and down again in 5.5 hours with a few photo stops and summit picnic. Would recommend it to anyone in the central belt as I found it much easier than even Ben Lomond.

I am planning on doing that as well. I have never had a dry day since I started this hillwalking malarkey. It has always been pissing down.

I know what you mean there, we've had the most rotten luck this year and as a result I've missed out on a lot of hills that I wanted to do. I only have one friend who likes walking and he only ever has one day a week free. The few times we made an effort to go out in the latter part of the summer it was always raining.

Edited October 21, 2007 by Middleton Mouse

[AyrshireTon]

I did Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn) today with the intention of doing Stuc A Chroin was well but didn't fancy the scramble up wet rock.

There's a path instead of the scramble, which I used to get back down.

Agree that the weather has been poor this year - I am hoping for a nice clear frosty day where the mud is all frozen and the only drawback is the lack of daylight hours.

[Reynard]

I did Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn) today with the intention of doing Stuc A Chroin was well but didn't fancy the scramble up wet rock.

Vorlich was quite easy, was up and down again in 5.5 hours with a few photo stops and summit picnic. Would recommend it to anyone in the central belt as I found it much easier than even Ben Lomond.

I know what you mean there, we've had the most rotten luck this year and as a result I've missed out on a lot of hills that I wanted to do. I only have one friend who likes walking and he only ever has one day a week free. The few times we made an effort to go out in the latter part of the summer it was always raining.

we did ben vorlich a month ago. Bloody hell it was a stinker! We walked up to the dam and then went sraight up from there. Scrambled the whole way up!

Didn`t realise we had walked right past an easier route up. Possibly remember to take the map with us next time

[AyrshireTon]

we did ben vorlich a month ago. Bloody hell it was a stinker! We walked up to the dam and then went sraight up from there. Scrambled the whole way up!

Didn`t realise we had walked right past an easier route up. Possibly remember to take the map with us next time

Think you are talking about the Loch Lomond Ben Vorlich, which is above the Loch Sloy dam.

MM is referring to the easier one over at Loch Earn.

[Reynard]

Think you are talking about the Loch Lomond Ben Vorlich, which is above the Loch Sloy dam.

MM is referring to the easier one over at Loch Earn.

Yeah I just noticed that. Was hoping nobody else did

The Loch Sloy way is a total c**t BTW

Edited October 22, 2007 by Reynard

[AyrshireTon]

Yeah I just noticed that. Was hoping nobody else did

The Loch Sloy way is a total c**t BTW

I went up roughly the same way - a faint path about 500m from the dam, the start marked by a tiny cairn. There's apparently 4 different ways up the Arrochar Alp Ben Vorlich, none of which are particularly easy.

[Moriarty]

we did ben vorlich a month ago. Bloody hell it was a stinker! We walked up to the dam and then went sraight up from there. Scrambled the whole way up!

Didn`t realise we had walked right past an easier route up. Possibly remember to take the map with us next time

Did exactly the same thing a couple of months ago and it was fcking tough! Completely missed the path and headed towards the reservoir. Got to the point where we said well there doesn't seem to be a route so we'll just start climbing. Discovered the path when we were 3/4 of the way up. It would have been a bit of a puff even using the path from the bottom, but off the path wasn't easy.

[Reynard]

I went up roughly the same way - a faint path about 500m from the dam, the start marked by a tiny cairn. There's apparently 4 different ways up the Arrochar Alp Ben Vorlich, none of which are particularly easy.

Yeah we walked past that bit and just walked straight up from the edge of the dam. And it was bloody vertical near enough We found the path once we got up to the flatter bit at the top. We were in the pub the night before with the map and we decided what way we were going up and promptly forgot. We are ill equipped hillwalkers! My mate has GPS as well but he forgot the map and compass! We had got up to that farm where you go straight on to ben vane before we realised. So we kind of muddled through. Feel like we can tackle anything after that though!

[Guest Raeboy]

Climbed Ben Lawers and Ben Ghlass (sp?) as part of my Birthday trip away to Loch Tay.

Ben Ghlass in the afternoon sunshine;

Ben Lawers and Ben Ghlass from Loch Tay;

At the Summit of Ben Lawers;

At the Summit of Ben Lawers - (Burning of Heather I think);

Edited October 22, 2007 by Raeboy

[Socks]

I like the first of those photos above - black and white is always just something a wee bit different.

Started doing a bit hillwalking this summer and was up Ben Cleuch last week. Haven't managed to do any munro's yet but thinking about getting one in this wednesday or next. Anyone any suggestions on on a good hill ?

Have a look at some of the ones mentioned further up on this thread - plenty of decent choices there.

I am planning on doing that as well. I have never had a dry day since I started this hillwalking malarkey. It has always been pissing down.

I can`t wait to get to the top of a mountain and actually be able to see something

I know what you mean there, we've had the most rotten luck this year and as a result I've missed out on a lot of hills that I wanted to do. I only have one friend who likes walking and he only ever has one day a week free. The few times we made an effort to go out in the latter part of the summer it was always raining.

That's a bit of a shame, but it does just seem to go like that sometimes. 2003 was a pretty good summer, but it just worked out that every time we were out walking the weather was pretty poor. Strangely enough in 2002 when it was quite a poor summer, we had great weather just about every time. Keep with it though, and you'll start to enjoy it when you do start to get some better days. They will come, honest!

For me, it hasn't been too bad a summer for weather up the hills, but it's just been the way it's worked out this year that I've done very few in comparison to the last few years. A combination of not feeling too well for much of it, and struggling to get a time that suited. Still though, the climb up The Saddle at Glen Shiel in July was a brilliant day out, amde all the better as the rain stopped and the clouds cleared just as we got near the summit - one of those where the weather just changes at the right time and makes the climb really seem worth it.

I don't think I'll bother with anything in November - it's usually a terrible month for walking, with December and January usually a bit better. Cold clear days in winter are great for walking, and hopefully I'll manage a couple of lower climbs over the winter. One of the best ones I did last year was a couple of Corbetts up at Glen Clova the week before Christmas, but it was a bit dodgy getting to it, as the road up from Kirriemuir was totally covered in ice all the way!

Interesting comment about Ben Chonzie above - I didn't think it was particularly boring either, and I've certainly done less interesting ones than that. Did you see any mountain hare while you were up there? There were hundreds of them the day I did it.

[AyrshireTon]

Interesting comment about Ben Chonzie above - I didn't think it was particularly boring either, and I've certainly done less interesting ones than that. Did you see any mountain hare while you were up there? There were hundreds of them the day I did it.

Saw one hare running up the steep bit (just to make us feel good) and a group of ptarmigan running about near the summit.

[Middleton Mouse]

It was Ok in springthis year, we did a lot of walks in March/May and thought "great, we'll get our list done in the summer no probs" but then I was ill in July and it took and age for me to feel like going out the house never mind up a hill.

Really must find a few more friends that'd go walking with me!

[Socks]

If the main thing is that you don't have pals to go up the hills with, it might be worth joining a local walking group. I've no idea how many of them there are round you, but I know that in Fife there's a fair number. They aren't always ideal with a fair range of fitness among the folk out for a walk on a given day according to my dad who went with Fife walking club for a while, but you might get to know a few folk who you can head up the hills with in a smaller group. Failing that, just bully some pal into coming for a day, against their wishes, telling them they'll love it when they get a veiew from the top. I did that with a couple of pals, with just wee walks up the pentlands, and both of them were genuinely delighted when they got to their first top and got a decent view.

[Guest mooro]

Really must find a few more friends that'd go walking with me!

*puts up hand* Have just noticed this thread and this quote:

Nothing better than getting really muddy, tramping across countryside then coming home for a long bath before ordering a curry and then watching a DVD (or football) later on!

Sounds like my kinda women.

Me, me!

*meant to say it's been a few years since I went hillwalking but my fave area was around the Pitlochry area.

Edited October 23, 2007 by mooro

[Middleton Mouse]

*puts up hand* Have just noticed this thread and this quote:

Sounds like my kinda women.

Me, me!

*meant to say it's been a few years since I went hillwalking but my fave area was around the Pitlochry area.

Socks thanks for the advice regarding walking groups and bullying friends. I have a couple of male friends I could potentially bribe (with curries and drinks I might add) but all my female friends would likely try going up wearing high heels.

CC try Ben Vorlich over Loch Earn, it's easy enough to find the start at Ardvorlich house and despite being a higher hill is probably just as easy as Cleuch. We made the top in just over 2.5 hours, think it took us about 2-2.5 hours to get to the top of Cleuch.

[silver]

Interesting to read people looking for friends to go walking with.Have those who feel that way ever considered walking by yourself?.

When I started the thought of going with a group never entered my head and as such I have done 99% of hills by myself.

Plenty of advantages in it as well as you are self reliant and can go as fast or as slow as you like.You dont have to worry about others getting cold and wet and worry as to whether they want to go on or turn back.

So many advantages.Its nice to go with some people as I found out recently,but give solo walking a go if you feel you are capable enough.

[AyrshireTon]

Interesting to read people looking for friends to go walking with.Have those who feel that way ever considered walking by yourself?.

Around half of my hillwalks have been solos, and when I know that I'm going alone I do the ones that are less user-friendly to the folk usually I go with (the steeper ones with no path).

I'm more likely to converse with other walkers when I go solo (as are the folk I chat to).

[Middleton Mouse]

Interesting to read people looking for friends to go walking with.Have those who feel that way ever considered walking by yourself?.

When I started the thought of going with a group never entered my head and as such I have done 99% of hills by myself.

Plenty of advantages in it as well as you are self reliant and can go as fast or as slow as you like.You dont have to worry about others getting cold and wet and worry as to whether they want to go on or turn back.

So many advantages.Its nice to go with some people as I found out recently,but give solo walking a go if you feel you are capable enough.

I just don't like driving so like to go with my friend to get a lift!