Friday 12 April 2019

#discovernationalparks


I am ashamed to say that until today I didn't know Discover National Parks Awareness Fortnight was a thing.

But I am delighted to find that I have something to say about it because over the last week I have climbed two very iconic hills in The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

The first was last Friday.  My nine year old grandson, James, has recently shown an interest in hillwalking. He has climbed a local hill but I knew that Ben A'an on the side of Loch Achray was a spectacular hill and well within his capabilities. I have climbed it twice before, both times with non hillwalkers at a slow speed. I was looking forward to showing my grandson this gem.


The pointed hill Ben A'an


We had a problem parking the van because the carpark was packed so Colin dropped us off and planned to park in the nearby Ben Venue carpark. He would catch us up. James was like a puppy let off a leash and was soon racing up the path.  There has been quite a few changes since the last time I was here. The path is better and there has been substantial tree clearing. Colin still hadn't caught us when we rounded the bend and had our first view of the hill.


Ben A'an is only 454m high but has a pointed summit that looks inaccessible from a distance.
'That's the hill,' I said hoping he'd share my excitement.
'What! I'm not climbing that,' said James and plopped himself down on a rock. 'I'm not going.'



He wouldn't budge so I kept walking hoping he'd change his mind. A little further up the path I met a family, Mum, Dad, two young girls about 6 or 7 years old.
'Have you been up the mountain?' I asked.
'Oh, yes,' both girls said beaming.
'Was it good?'
'Brilliant.'
'Do you see that boy sitting on a rock? Please tell him that.'  And they did because James was soon back on the track scampering after me.

Ben A'an summit


The walking is easy until the base of the mountain then the path climbs steeply round the back and the rocky summit is reached from a northern shoulder. It was very windy on the summit so we didn't linger too long, just enough to take some photos and catch the breathtaking views.
For such a short climb the views are stunning over Loch Katrine and towards Ben Lomond. It must be one of the most rewarding hills in Scotland and, judging from the number of people on the hill that day, that fact is no secret.

The second hill I've climbed this week is also a short climb for great reward - Conic Hill at Balmaha, on the banks of Loch Lomond.

My friend has just retired and wanted to do a walk. We both had appointments at either end of the day so arranged to meet in the Balmaha carpark at 11.00. Trisha always brings her dog Raasay on walks but for a collie he is very well behaved.

With Raasay on the very busy summit


The carpark is large so no trouble parking this time. The path was very busy and it was lovely to see so many young children out walking. Like the day on Ben A'an, the weather was good, clear skies and not too much wind this time.  Conic Hill is a hump back ridge, with good paths up to the summit and the West Highland Way traversing along it's northern flank. At the high point we looked back to fabulous views of the loch, but the summit was so busy we kept walking the ridge until we found a quite spot for a picnic. We then dropped down and picked up the West Highland Way path for our return route.

The bonnie banks of Loch Lomond from Conic Hill


Because we had some extra time we veered off the main path, kept to the ridge and walked straight down to the loch. It's then only a short walk along the beach, then road to get back to the carpark.

If you haven't yet discovered your national parks try and get out this weekend and climb one of these gems.


Wednesday 3 April 2019

New Boots


I needed a new pair of hillwalking boots.

It would have been easy to catch the train to Glasgow or Edinburgh to buy them but we hadn’t been away in the van for a while so we went to Keswick.

We started Friday morning in the usual way; climbing wall for Colin, cardio dance for me. After a short trip to the supermarket across the road from the Sports Centre to stock up we were away. We reached Keswick before the shops shut. First stop NeedleSports, my favourite outdoor shop. The staff are friendly and know what they're talking about. I was soon the proud owner of a snazzy pair of three season Salewa boots with funky blue laces.

New boots with plastic tag still attached

Next stop Braithwaite’s beautiful campsite with its stunning views towards Skiddaw (931 m) and only a five minute walk to the village. After we set up camp we wandered to the Royal Oak for an early dinner. The pub was pretty busy but we soon found a table. The local beer was excellent and so was the food, pork belly with crackling, mash and gravy - yum. Many of the diners were watching the football on the TV that played in the corner - Leeds vs Spurs so we joined them in supporting the northern team. Rain had threatened earlier but it was a clear, cold night as we walked along the small river back to the campsite. The forecast for the next day was for rain coming in at lunchtime so we set our alarm for an early start.
I wanted to test out my boots on Skiddaw, the only English hill over 3000 foot I haven’t climbed. The normal route is from Keswick but we drove the van a little further north and started from Dodd Wood. After paying £6.00 for the car park we took a good forestry track contouring below Longside Edge. We were on our own until we met the path coming up from Keswick and suddenly the hill got busy. The going was pretty good until the col between the mountain and Longside Edge. Here the path turned into a scree slope and proved to be very steep and slippy. The wind had picked up and clouds were beginning to gather in the west.

Looking back to Derwent Water

We reached the broad summit before 11:00 am but didn’t linger because the wind was knocking me over. As I skittered my way back down the steep slope I got a good look at Longside Edge, our planned return route. It looked a narrow but interesting ridge. The wind was still strong. I didn’t fancy being blown off a narrow ridge but I knew from experience that narrow ridges look less imposing close up. We went for it and I’m glad we did because it is an excellent ridge walk, a good wide path with bypass routes for more difficult sections. Because we were parked at the Dodd Wood carpark we came off the ridge early onto a steep grass hillside that led onto even steeper scree that moved like water with every movement. Many times I ended up skiting down on my backside. It was a good test for my boots, my trousers weren’t fairing so well.

Good path on Longside Edge

By the time we reached the forest track again small specs of rain were falling and we almost made it back to the van before torrential rain lashed us.
Back at the campsite I dashed through the rain to the cosy toilet block for a roasting hot shower. We thought we might go back to the pub from a pre-dinner beer but the rain held us captive in the van for the evening, but that is always a treat in itself.
The boots passed the test.