The morning of Sunday 9 March I opened my curtains to grey clouds and the feeling it might rain. Callum reminded me that we would not be walking in Glasgow. After breakfast and preparing sandwiches we got into the car and set off for Loch Lomond, starting the car journey at around 11.30am. By this time the grey clouds had gone, encouraging more positive thoughts about the weather. Last week Callum and I had gone on our first walk up Ben A’an, a short but steep walk, and thought it would be fun to try a slightly longer walk and so Ben Lomond (Beinn Laomainn) was decided on.
We arrived at the car park at the bottom of Ben Lomond at around 12.40pm and after a loop around the main car park we parked in the overflow car park a short distance away. One of the first sunny and warm days of the year and it was unsurprisingly a busy place.
After a short discussion about how many layers to take for all hypothetical eventualities and a quick snack, eaten sat on the banks of Loch Lomond, we started on the path which would lead us up Ben Lomond.
The path was easy to follow and not particularly technical for more than a couple of steps at a time. While Ben A’an was really quite steep at points, the Ben Lomond path was not too steep. Still, the steeper sections of Ben Lomond were long enough to feel a nice burn in the legs and create anticipation for walking back down. As the full car park suggested the path was busy with walkers of all sorts - young families, old couples, groups of friends...
The path almost immediately started uphill. This meant that, not long after they had been put on, all jumpers came off and a sweat started which wouldn’t go away until we reached the top. I thought a lot about how I could possibly have thought I would need a jumper AND my big waterproof jacket which I had tied around my waist - writing this now, I remember that I also had waterproof trousers in my backpack… Maybe I need to calm down on making up hypothetical scenarios I need to prepare for!
As we continued, the landscape offered wonderful views. The height gave us a good look at the hills in the surrounding area.
After just under 3.5 hours we made it to the top, joined only by a small group of other walkers and a raven who seemed to be picking up any left over crumbs.
Thanks to the beautiful sun and little wind we enjoyed our packed lunch sat 20 m away from the trig point looking out to the hills in the west. Food always tastes better outside and especially on top of a hill, I am convinced! Excited for the downhill, we put our bags back on and my now cold, wet t-shirt was pressed against my back - ready for home. As the sun would soon be setting, the crowds on the hill had almost completely disappeared and on our way down we passed only a couple of other small groups and some sheep which we had not seen earlier when the hill was busier.
The views of the other hills were hazy.
By the time we reached the bottom it was dark and we could see our shadows in the moonlight. We stopped for a drink at the Rowardennan Hotel, where there were five other guests and a warm fire. The final stretch to the car was very cold and all remaining fig rolls were eaten before the car journey back to Glasgow.
Distance - 8.32 miles
Elevation Gain - 3,179 feet
Munro 1/282