Ben Lomand - my first Munro!

Stats

Yesterday I started my Munro Bagging adventure by summitting Ben Lomand in what can only be described as cold but ideal conditions :) 1 down, only 281 to go!

The route

After parking up and confirming I had everything packed that I needed for me, my dog and my 2 bother-in-laws to safely ascend the mountain, we set off for the walk ahead.

After moving through the carpark, the start of the walk is well signposted - but if in doubt it is also the only route that is heading upwards! The start of the walk is following a stoney footpath through a lovely wood with large steps built into the path. At this point the summit is visible through the trees (depending on season), however it does look a very long way away! Keep following the walk through the wooden gate you encounter and the path starts to flatten out a little bit as you walk along the slope rather than up it. Given the icy weather, there were a few awkward scrambles where the ice had made the "easy" route quite trecherous and more inventive routes needed to be found. The hard work of National Trust Scotland to repair the scar in the hill is clear, with the tree line and undergrowth thickening - much to the pleasure of my pooch who decided exploring and rolling in much brush was the best decision she could make!

After making it through the next gate, the trees are behind you and the mountain really comes into view. It is at this point that my dog, Bonnie, really opened her legs and started to run ahead of us and look back as if to say "hurry up!". We followed as best as we could, but the walk slowly started to take its toll on our legs and we kept to a stead plod upwards. The biggest change we felt coming out of the trees was the significant drop in temperature as the wind picked up. Whilst forecast for well below 0, we were protected from the worst of it in the trees, however my hat and gloves really earned their place in my bag for the rest of the walk.

As we continued to climb, we were able to really lose ourselves in the view as the navigation is simply "follow the path" - this is a very well trodden route and having now done it, I can see why. Towards the summit the effort picks up again as you are faced with a long staircase which very much reminded me of the stairway to Shelob's Lair! Fortunately, the top of the stairway rewards you with unparallelled views of Loch Lomand and not an oversized spider, phew!

For a full route guide, see this wonderful guide at WalkHighlands.