Scotland – Student In Snowdonia

The Gateway to the Highlands: Ben Lomond

In 2014 I made my first solo mountain climb up Ben Lomond, a Munro which marks the beginning of the Scottish Highlands

Ben Lomond, also known as the Beacon Mountain, is the most southerly Munro, (that being Scottish mountains that are over 3000 feet). Due to its location, Ben Lomond is often the first one climbed by those seeking to bag all 282 Munros. Like so many of these climbers, Ben Lomond would turn out to be not only to be my first Munro, but also my first solo mountain climb.

To set the scene, this was during my week of volunteering with the Scottish National Trust, my Dad and I had already been in Scotland for a couple of days, during which we visited the Steall Falls and climb the nearby Cobbler. But now it was time to part ways with my Dad, he needed to get back to work and I was set to start my week at Loch Lomond; I’d take a plane home. However my fellow volunteers weren’t due to arrive until later in the afternoon, so with plenty of time to kill, I bid my Dad goodbye and set off on my way to the summit of Ben Lomond.

SDC13336 — Looking to the summit of Ben Lomond

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for walking. As this was my first solo climb, all the other mountains before this I’d done with my Dad, I didn’t want to risk getting lost so I set out along the well marked tourist path, a wide and easy path which is paved in certain areas. As a walk, the climb was pretty easy as you simply needed to follow this tourist path all the way to the summit, it was a long and rather unadventurous route.

The higher I climbed the more of Loch Lomond I was able to see, soon the Inch Islands came into view, looking absolutely stunning set between the clear blue sky and water.

It was busy at the summit, which only took me some two hours to reach. From there my view encompassed the very beginnings of the Scottish Highlands and the gorgeous Loch Lomond and The Trossach National Park. In the opposing valley, rain was falling, leaving a stunning rainbow. It really was as if I were looking into some mystical fantasy land.

The entirety of the Inch Islands from the summit

Sloy Power Station and the mountain of Ben Vorlich

Scotland from the summit of Ben Lomond, some 3,196 ft

The route back was equally unremarkable as the way up, but that’s just how I wanted it to be for my first climb, the views were reward enough. I stopped off at the nearby hotel for some much needed lunch and then headed down to the shores of Loch Lomond to take some photos and admire the scenery some more.

Finally on my way to the National Trust Lodge, I came across the Loch Lomond War Memorial, a rather striking, yet simple granite structure which offers visitors a view of the loch through its centre. In all this walk was a perfect way to end my holiday before transitioning to the hard work that the next day promised to present.

SDC13374 (2).JPG — The Gateway to the Highlands

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Rowing on the Bonnie Banks

I go rowing on the beautiful waters of Loch Lomond with volunteers from the Scottish National Trust.

Sorry about lack of posts in recent days, we’ve had issues with the internet which is now fortunately resolved

So in 2014 I headed off to Scotland for a week of work with the Scottish National Trust. Why? Well because I love the idea of volunteering and helping to preserve the culture and environment of these National Trust properties.

Well, not exactly. Its not that I don’t like volunteer work and preserving the culture and environment of National Trust properties. In fact I don’t mind that at all, I’m more than happy to help and work for a week or longer. But the reason I went was simply because it was in Scotland. I love Scotland, especially Scotland in the summer. I had had two holidays in Scotland prior to this and had fallen in love with the country, so when I saw an opportunity to return via this volunteering week, I leapt at the opportunity.

So for a week, I found myself teamed up with a group of fellow volunteers in a lodge situated on the shores of the stunning Loch Lomond. Together we were building a traditional 17th century Lomond house, built entirely out of local materials. Unfortunately most of the building had already been finished by previous groups and our job was to top it off by thatching reeds onto the roof, which I was pretty useless at, damn my clumsy hands. Luckily I found myself a job at completing the wooden paneling on the side of the house in order to keep out rain and wind. As I was the only one working on this bit, I was pretty proud of my contribution and if I say so myself, it was probably the most sturdy part of the house (even if the rest of the house is knocked down, I’m sure my wooden panels would remain standing).

My section, just look at how neat and tidy that all is

Anyway, on the Thursday we had a day off and I decided to join 3 of my fellow team mates and we headed off for a day of boating on the expanse of Loch Lomond. We all piled onto a little wooden dingy and pushed off, carefully navigating our ways around the dozens of boats that were moored up near the shore.

I’m not really a boating person, give me solid rock beneath my feet any day, in fact this was probably the first time I’d been lake boating and Loch Lomond is no mere lake. It is the largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain, at 24 miles long and 5 miles wide and with an average depth of 127ft. It has waves, currents and hundreds of little islands dot its surface. So you can imagine I was a bit of a nervous wreck initially, but I soon settled down when it became apparent that my crew knew exactly what they were doing and our boat proved to be watertight.

We circle around the closest island of Inchcailloch

We landed first on the little island of Clairinsh. Historically there is evidence to suggest that people having been living on Clairinsh since the Iron Age, and in more recent times in was the seat of Clan Buchanan and even served as their warcry in battle. However these days the island is entirely uninhabited and is owned by the Buchanan Society. The island is very flat and completely overgrown, so we struggled on through the undergrowth, taking care to avoid nettles. Despite the island being uninhabited we still saw evidence of people who had, like us, arrived on the island by boat, including a rather peculiar flat football, complete with a Wilson-esque face on it (Maybe this is where he washed up after his adventures with Tom Hanks).

The whole adventure had a very Swallows and Amazons feel to it…

Part of the fish tail of Clairinsh, yes apparently the island looks like a fish from above

Looking down the length of the Highland Boundary Fault

We left Clairinsh and rowed around its western shore, and towards the pass between Inchcailloch and Torrinch. Both islands lie on the Highland Boundary Fault, the geological fault zone which separates the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands from one another. It was also at this point that our view of Loch Lomond was no longer blocked by Inchcailloch and we were able to see the wide variety of islands that Loch Lomond possesses. Each island has its own unique past and features, some like Clairinsh played host to the old clans that lived around the loch while others are named after saints and one island even has a manor house and a colony of wallabies living on it.

SDC13392 — Ben Lomond rises up in the distance, my first Munro

The mountains of Scotland only add to its mystical appeal

We sailed into Inchcailloch and pulled our boat up onto the sandy beach before settling down for some lunch. Inchcailloch is one of the larger islands on Loch Lomond and is one of its most frequently visited. This was evident from the camp site we found ourselves sitting next too as well as the more modern boats moored up next to our little dingy.

A believe this species is called ‘giant dragonfly that really likes jam sandwiches and won’t leave you alone’

After lunch our little expedition headed inland. Inchcailloch was once scared to the Clan MacGregor and is home to a clan burial ground as well as the ruins of a church dedicated to St Kentigern, after whom the island is named. Another of Inchcailloch features is, due to it lying on a fault line, it is unusually high for a lake island, rising up to 279ft in its centre. This allowed us a moment above the treeline from which we could see the vastness that is Loch Lomond and the beautiful National Park in which it reside.

Looking south towards the shore and Glasgow

A slender crosslet formed with care

A cubit’s length in measure due

The shafts and limbs were rods of yew

Whose parents in Inch Cailliach wave

Their Shadows o’er Clan Alpine’s grave,

And, answering Lomond’s breezes deep,

Soothe many a chieftain’s endless sleep.

Walter Scott, The Lady of the Lake

We headed back to our boat and began to the long haul back to Balmaha, the wind began to pick up and we were hard pressed to stay our course. However before we rolled into port, our team leader couldn’t resist the urge to sing ‘The Bonnie Banks o’Loch Lomond’. We were all soon humming the tune as we rowed the last few metres back to our moorings and the afternoon sun glinted over the soft, blue waters.

O ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road,
And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.

I look back at this little week with great fondness, I certainly miss Scotland and its natural beauty but I also miss the experiences with my fellow team members; The lodge owner’s little poodle, the hearty meals after a hard days work and the nights gather around the campfire under a star filled sky. I;m not missing the midges though, may Cailleach take them all.

SDC13412 — Our last look at the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond

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Rain, Rivers and Waterfalls: The Steall Falls

A walk through rain and along rivers to one of Scotland’s most spectacular waterfalls

In the August of last year, I traveled up to Scotland to do some volunteer work with the Scottish National Trust, however before that began my dad and I decided to arrive a few days early and do some walking in the Highlands.

Initially we had intended to climb Ben Nevis, but the weather looked to poor for it to be worth the climb up so we instead drove into Glen Nevis and did a short walk to the spectacular Steall Falls, Scotland’s second highest waterfall.

Our drive up through Glen Nevis was a magical as ever, the mountains on either side of the road were obscured by thick cloud, which was rolling down into the valley, creating a mystical scene. Our walk began at the car park based at the end of the Glen Nevis Road, from which the path took us along the wooded banks of the Waters of the Nevis and up into the Nevis Gorge. The path itself was wet and slippery from rain showers so we had to tread gingerly and in some places the path vanished and we had to clamber over rocks and steams. But as we reach the Nevis Gorge and trees began to thin, the clouds seemingly fell away to reveal sunshine and a beautiful landscape before us.

SDC13267 — The Nevis Gorge with the Steall Falls in the distance

I felt like I had stumbled upon Shangri-La or some other hidden kingdom. Ben Nevis rose majestically up behind us, but our eyes were only drawn to the sparkling Waters of the Nevis and the roaring fury that was the Steall Falls in the distance, already we could hear its turbulent waters . We continued following the path and took a right fork which led towards the falls, however we soon hit a small snag. You see, in order to cross the river you had to walk across a tightrope

….a literal tightrope

No bridge, no jumping point, no stepping stones, just a tightrope.

Of course we couldn’t turn back now, not with the waterfall so close, so we gritted our teeth and stepped carefully onto the swaying rope.

I honestly don’t see why there just can’t just be a nice quaint little wooden bridge, still we made it across safe and sound and now we were only a stones throw away from the waterfall. Annoyingly at this point the path just decided to disappear and we were left trudging though thick mud and heather, heading towards the sound of the waterfall, which itself was obscured by the trees. Eventually though we made it to the Steall Falls.

SDC13280 — The torrent known as the Steall Falls

Steall Falls 02[1] — Me perched besides the falls and getting very wet

After some photo posing it was time to head back, across the ridiculous tightrope, and into the valley for a spot of lunch, however just as we finished eating, we noticed some rather dark clouds approaching us.

We decided to hurry back before the rain hit us, but just as we reached the woods the heavens opened up. Stupidly I had left my waterproof trousers back at the car and was now paying the price for it, by the time we got back to the car I was soaked to the skin and all the stuff in my pockets was ruined, wallet included; fortunately all the £10 notes dried out. However the car’s heated seats soon warmed me up and I couldn’t help but feel like I had seen a couple of truly spectacular sites today, the incredible Steall Fall’s itself and my dad on a tightrope.

SDC13293 — A wonder what would happen if i just jumped up and down on the rope a little…..

Thus concludes my tale, if you enjoyed this story feel free to write in the comments, or leave like and thanks for reading.

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This walk has been shared with Jo’s Monday Walks, a page for walkers of every caliber to share their adventures, so if you want to check out some other walking bloggers click on the link.

Twilight on Loch Linnhe: Inchree Falls

For me, there’s something strangely pleasing about still seeing sunshine so late at night. On this particular evening Scotland was dazzling.

Going a bit further back in time and a bit further outside of Snowdonia in this blog post.

In 2013 me and my family went holidaying in Scotland, we were staying in a little cottage in Inchree on the shores of Loch Linnhe. Right outside the cottage was a series of towering woodland, abundant with pine martins and red squirrels (or so we were told..). This made it perfect for evening walks and it was on the first of these evening walks I sighted what appeared to be a large waterfall in the distance. Not knowing the area and having made a conscious decision to use my laptop as little as possible for this holiday I had no idea there was such a large waterfall so close to where we were staying. I resolved to reach this waterfall, however this proved easier said than done as on the first night we decided we were much too tired to try and reach the waterfall, on account of none of us having slept for around 15 hours. I decided it was best saved for another day.

On the third evening I attempted again to reach the waterfall, with my brother in tow. However our path split in many different routes and the path we took wound all the way in the wrong direction, and although it eventually started to swerve back the right way, by this time my brother was hot and bothered and told me it was time to head back (spoil sport).

Finally on the 5th evening of our stay, I came home after a long day cycling around the Isle of Lismore (I’ll make a post on that too at some point). However I decided, despite my tiredness to join my Dad out on an evening walk as he been forced to spend all day inside in order to catch up on some work. So we both set out in search of the mysterious waterfall, we took a different path this time and eventually found ourselves above the treeline, looking out over Loch Linnhe in the twilight.

One of the best things about Scotland is its natural beautiful and the second best thing about Scotland is getting to enjoy those views at 11 o’clock at night in the summer. For me, there’s something strangely pleasing about still seeing sunshine so late at night. On this particular evening Scotland was dazzling.

Eventually, we both finally reached the top of the Inchree Falls, it was a very satisfying moment for me, it really felt like I’d uncovered some sort of hidden natural treasure. Me and my dad both scoured the waterfall, examining every part of it and taking as many photos as we could. Inchree Falls is a spectacular display of thundering foam and water, spilling over hundred’s of feet. Ultimately however the sun finally started to set and we had to leave our hidden treasure. Of course on our way back we found a much quicker route from the waterfall to the cottage, as well as a huge car park and water adventure center hidden among the trees (its seems our waterfall wasn’t so hidden after all).

Thus concludes my tale, if you have stories you wish to share or have any advice about the blog in general feel free to leave a note in the comments and thanks for reading.

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