ROUTE: As SMC Guide "The Munros"
MEMBERS OF PARTY: Solo
CONDITIONS: Around -5C in the glen. Copious ice on the path up to the fenceline below Stob Invercarnaig. Powdery snow above around 850m. Carried ice axe and crampons but not used. Blue skies with fantastic visibility and very light Northerly breeze.
DURATION: 5:41 minutes car to car. (10.9km, 1188m ascent. )
SKILLS PRACTISED: Tricky walking on frozen turf and blanket bog below snowline. Easier going plugging steps in powder snow above around 850m. No path visible under snow but route along ridge to summit unmissable - no navigation required! I was particularly careful not to slip or trip on the steep icy descent back in to the glen - full concentration on balance and moving skills.
MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT: A beautifully still and quiet day on the hill. A pair of Ravens spotted above the lower crags. Transition from sheep-grazed grassland to montane shrub heath visible below the snowline. Extensive frozen blanket bog on the flat area on Stob Invercarnaig.
KEY LEARNING POINTS/CONTRIBUTION TO EXPERIENCE: A valuable further addition to my solo winter walking experience, with the emphasis on self reliance! Not a single other walker on the hill - very rare on a Munro these days even on a short winter day. Just a fantastic, blue sky day, enjoying an amazing panorama of the Southern Highlands.
Area :
Strathyre to Strathallan (Ben Vorlich)
This area includes the eastern edge of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, and the Glen Artney Hills. Ben Vorlich (985m) and Stuc a’ Chroin (975m) are the only two Munros in the area which covers the land between Loch Earn (to the north) and the town of Callander (to the south). Access is typically from the A84 or A85.
