Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’ Chroin

// October 30th, 2009 // Scottish Hills

This was my first adventure out on the hills since the hair-raising trip to An Teallach in April last year. The long delay has not been through fear however. Circumstances have just conspired against me with the weather thwarting me several times and family responsibilities playing their own familiar role. It’s taken me a little while to get around to posting anything about this trip, which actually took place on the 12th and 13th of September.

I had originally intended spending the night in the back of our trusty Volvo estate, parked up in the lovely lochside car park on the east bank of Loch Lubnaig. However, on arrival at nightfall, I found 3 or 4 boozy bonfires in full swing and any thoughts of a quiet contemplative hour with a lager and the moonlit loch quickly disappeared. I continued north on the A84 to Strathyre and found refuge in the large (and empty) car park there. I marvelled, as I always do when outside the city, at the vast number of stars on show and the easily discernible Milky Way.

I was awake, fed and dressed by 7am, dropped the car at the side of the road at Ardchullarie More and set off on foot through the trees towards the path north through Glen Ample. The walk is initially very picturesque, tree-covered and very steep until breaking out into Glen Ample proper. After around 7.5k of fairly easy walking you reach the farm called Glenample and turning right immediately start ascending steeply through the trees towards Ben Vorlich. The path appears and disappears seemingly at random but in general skirts a hundred metres or so to thenorth of Allt a’ Choire Fhuadaraich, ascending relentlessly and quickly revealing good views of the surrounding area. On reaching the summit of Ben Vorlich I was a little disappointed as the cloud base was covering the top 50 or 100 metres and obscuring what would otherwise have been a wonderful view all the way back across Stirlingshire towards Edinburgh.

While devouring a scotch egg and some chocolate I gazed across at the possible routes up neighbouring Stuc a’ Chroin. From this viewpoint it was apparent that there are at least two routes. There is the easy, if steep, pull up the corrie wall lying to the north of the summit and a harder and steeper climb up a chimney lying just to the left of the bealach ridge between Ben Vorlich and its neighbour. I made for the chimney but backed off after some indecision. Perhaps if I had been with another climber I would have chanced it but on this solo trip I settled on the safer option.

The clouds lifted a bit while making for the summit of Stuc a’ Chroin and revealed some better views out to the north. It had been my intention to make for the corbett of Ben Each on the way back towards Ardchullarie More but upon reaching the flatter ground between there and the previous munro I began to feel fairly washed out. I’d brought too little in the way of food for such a lengthy walk and I began to feel what road cyclists and marathon runners refer to as a “bonk” coming on. I made for the path through Glen Ample some 350 or 400 metres below.

The walk back through the Glen was not nearly as pleasant as that of the morning due to fatigue really settling in but upon reaching the car I could reflect on a good day out on the hills. Supplies of food and drinks were fallen upon and inhaled and I’d happily made it back in time to listen to the second half of the football on Radio Scotland. Hibs failing to produce anything resembling a decent display, going down 2-0 to Hamilton.