This was really a recce of Ben More by the forested eastern approach. I was thinking about putting it on as an event for my Meetup group, but in the end it seemed a bit too wild for a group walk.
I arrived at the start of the walk at 8am, and was greeted by a pack of 20 dogs while still in my car. They belonged to a travelling couple. I had a friendly word with them and they promised to keep them away from me once I walked past - luckily the dogs behaved!
I followed the path through the forest, and out into the area that was being heavily logged. From there the path seemed to disappear, and I wandered off course a bit while trying to avoid some large snow patches which appeared to be covering rivers. Instead of walking up the shoulder to the summit of Ben More, as I'd intended, I ended up walking to the bealach between Ben More and Stob Binnen. From there it was quite a straightforward climb to the summit of Ben More. I then headed back down along the shoulder, taking care to avoid the rocks at around 850m. Being on my own, I was extra careful and took my time. The views were spectacular, and I saw some lovely wildlife, including a weasel and a wheatear.
Area :
Loch Lomond to Strathyre (Ben More)
Ben Lomond (974m) and Ben More (1174m) sit on opposite sides of this area which stretches from Loch Lomond to the western end of Loch Earn. There are two distinct sections, to the north and south of Glen Voil, with the remaining peaks sitting to the south of Loch Katrine. Access to the majority of the hills in this area is commonly from Crianlarich, Aberfoyle or Callander.
