
A spontaneous "bonus" day to make the most of a fantastic Indian Summer week of warm weather.
I had originally planned to go to the Stuc a' Chroin NE Ridge scramble to practise ML ropework, but arriving at Edinample there were more "No Parking" signs than I remembered and I felt uncomfortable leaving the car in case I caused offence. Drove on to Ardvorlich and went for the standard Ben Vorlich route instead.
My wife Marion was with me and we had a relaxed day enjoying the warm, sunny conditions. I incorporated some re-location/micro-navigation practise en route to the summit, picking-out some detailed flatter areas on the NE ridge. After a relaxed lunch break on the East Summit, we returned to the Trig. Point and descended the NW ridge where I found an ideal location for some ropework practise. Using a big flake as my anchor, I ran through the full sequence of belaying Marion first down, then up an easy scree slope, followed by descending the slope myself using hand-over-hand, angel's wings, and South African abseil.
En route to the summit I photographed an extensive area of natural regeneration of Sitka spruce on the north-facing slopes around 800m elevation. This is beginning to become more common in some parts of the Highlands and I posted it to the Rewilding Scotland Facebook page, sparking a very interesting debate, with over 50 comments! We also crossed paths with a very comical flock of around a dozen ptarmigan in full summer plumage - they resolutely refused to fly off despite our close approach, contouring calmly across the slope, stopping to eat the odd ripe bilberry before continuing! I also found some beautiful flowering specimens of Grass of Parnassus in a patch of wet heathland by the path in Glen Vorlich as we returned to the car park.
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.