Over The Hill

The popularity of Ben Vane is obvious by the number of walkers we see leaving the Inveruglas car park whenever we drive by on our way to a more northerly destination; popular it may be, but one that Janet had yet to climb, and so today we set out to rectify that, hopeful that it would be a more successful day than our last attempt in the first week of the year when we were within striking distance of the summit but had to abandon our attempt due to ice and snow making for difficult conditions over the last few metres.

It may be the smallest of the Munros, just making it's mark at 915m, but, once you have walked in from Inveruglas along the good Hydro access track to the base of the mountain above the farm at Coiregrogain, then this "little" Munro starts to bite. A wet and boggy track has to be negotiated as it climbs quite steeply to a small grassy plateau from where a stony path heads directly up the rocky east ridge.

At the base of this path is a large rock overhang offering an ideal spot for a quick drink and snack before continuing onwards along a very eroded path, which winds it's way up small gullies, where frequent hand-assisted holds are required to clamber over rocks and boulders, while at other times, the path traverses above some steep crags and grass slopes, with great views over Loch Sloy and it's dam below.

The weather was staying fine, a slightly cooling breeze and some low clouds drifting around, but a great deal better than on our previous visit, and, as we reached the area where we had to give up on that occasion, we could clearly see where our route would take us; where snow and ice had barred our way before, we negotiated a short but steep scramble up a rocky surface and onto a flatter area above. From here, the going eases slightly, as the path meanders over a couple of rocky humps before leaving you with the option of a short detour on easy slopes to the summit, or a more direct route via yet another short rocky scramble.

The summit plateau is surprisingly spacious, with the cairn sitting a little way over and just past a small lochan. At 915m we were just below the cloud base, and were able to enjoy the views as we sat huddled into some crags just below the summit for a welcome break. Lunch over, the most direct route off of Ben Vane was simply to retrace our steps and return to Inveruglas via our outward route, scrambles and all.

As I said previously, a "little" Munro, but with more to offer than one may initially expect from its height. - Great day, Thanks