I posted Ben Vane as a "Slow to Moderate" paced walk for my Meetup group.
There were 15 of us. I told the faster walkers that I would be walking with the slower walkers but that they could feel free to go on ahead at their own risk if they preferred. One young woman, who I know to be fit and healthy, was much slower than I`d expected, even though she has climbed a few Munros before. She was also very nervous about the rockiness of the terrain, and when the wind picked up in an exposed section she sat down and said she was too nervous to continue. I said that I would go back with her.
Unfortunately, there were three other people who were walking very slowly, and had insisted on taking an early lunchbreak at 11.30am. The rest of the group were way on ahead. I asked the ones who were taking a lunchbreak if they would tell the others that I was going to walk back with the nervous woman, but they didn`t respond, so I had to dash up the mountain from 450m to 720m, where I had to blow my whistle to alert two of the faster group. I told them I would have to return with a distressed person. Then I ran back down, walked the distressed person back to the road from where she was happy to continue alone, ate my lunch and returned to 450m.
By now I could see the others coming back down - except for one of the three other slow walkers. The others told me she had got to the summit. I was really worried about this, as she`d been complaining of digestive trouble, and had been taking medication - in fact she had almost turned back earlier. Also, she`d had a serious fall on a mountain the year before. Some people said she had planned to return a different way. I asked a passer-by on his way up the hill to look out for her. Then I went back to Inveruglas with the two other slow walkers. By the time we returned all the others had gone home. It was almost an hour later when the missing person returned, and we were on the verge of calling the police. She said she had just been taking her time, taking lots of photos.
The experience taught me the dangers of a large group splitting up, and also of targeting a walk to slower walkers.
Area :
Inveraray to Crianlarich (Ben Lui)
From the Arrochar Alps to Ben Lui, this area is home to nine Munros. Half of the peaks in the area are within the boundaries of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, while the others lie to the west. The three summits of The Cobbler (884m) contain some of the best climbing in the Southern Highlands while Ben Lui in winter looks positively Alpine. Access is relatively straightforward from the A83, A82 or A85.
