counter hit xanga
Glen Douglas | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Glen Douglas’

Revisiting Beinn Bhreac

Several years ago Nita and I walked the three hills to the north of Glen Douglas on the west side of Loch Lomond. For what are relatively small hills this is a surprisingly strenuous walk as there is quite a lot of steep ascents and descents. As such, by the time we’d climbed back up to the second hill, we were running a little late and so rather rushed over to Beinn Bhreac, the last and highest of the three hills. We subsequently didn’t have much time to enjoy the big views out over Loch Lomond or to explore the rocky little tops.

On the steep slopes of  Beinn Bhreac near Loch Lomond

On the steep slopes of Beinn Bhreac

Yesterday, with the forecast looking fine, we went back to Glen Douglas, only this time, to walk Beinn Bhreac and to explore it and its neighbour Ben Reoch. We’ve done several walks this year in these hills around Luss and on each occasion it’s been quite dark and hazy. As we arrived in Glen Douglas yesterday things were looking very similar with cloud misting the tops and fine drizzle falling. But even so, the glen was looking fantastic.

Approaching the summit of Beinn Bhreac near Loch Lomond

Approaching the summit of Beinn Bhreac

The route up from the glen to the summit of Beinn Bhreac is pretty direct and like most of the Luss Hills, steep and generally grassy. As we gained height the drizzle stopped and the cloud lifted, giving fine views back into the glen and across to the surrounding tops. I have to say that it’s been three weeks since we were on the rocky tops around Conival in Assynt and my legs were complaining as we made our way slowly uphill. With the sun starting to come out it was quite warm and it seemed to bring out the wild life…. flies and midges and … a lizard, which was hopefully eating some of the latter!

After so much grass, the summit of Beinn Bhreac is a pleasant surprise, being made up of a series of rocky outcrops and crags, the highest of which gives an amazingly large view over Loch Lomond. You can see a long way north up the loch and right down to the southern end. Directly opposite is the Munro, Ben Lomond which was looking great, although no doubt, it was a lot busier than on our side of the loch! We had seen no-one and that was to remain the same for the rest of the day.

Rock crevice near the summit of Beinn Bhreac near Loch Lomond

Rock crevice near the summit of Beinn Bhreac

As I said, on our previous visit to these hills, we had kind of rushed on our way over from Ben Reoch and had by-passed it’s more interesting and craggy little subsidiary top. Yesterday, we decided to make our way over to it and enjoy exploring around the crags. On leaving Beinn Bhreac however, we came across an amazing crevice in the rock. It looked like the side of the mountain was breaking away and would, sometime in the distant future, collapse down into Loch Lomond. It was surprisingly deep and offered shelter for many plants which were somehow clinging onto the ledges of the rock.

By the time we reached the rocky top near Ben Reoch, the sun was bright and hot and after picking our way around and through the crags, we settled down for a very pleasant rest, enjoying the views and the sight of four Ravens that seemed to occupy this lofty little top.

Beinn Bhreac

Beinn Bhreac from the rocky summit near Ben Reoch overlooking Loch Lomond

It was certainly a fine walk and it was well worth while revisiting and spending time exploring these tops. As you know, I’ve recently been doing some drawings based on our earlier visits to the Luss Hills. I think I may well get a couple more done based on our wander yesterday.

Just another couple of days in the office!

You may have noticed that I didn’t get around to writing a blog last week.   No real excuses I’m afraid, just lots of work….. Including two days in the Luss Hills office!

A hungry Raven!

A hungry Raven!

A week ago, Nita and I were sat on the side of Beinn Dubh eating our lunch and peering through very dense haze out over Glen Douglas towards Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond.  It was a very strange kind of light that day, with heavy brooding cloud cover that gave way every now and again to patches of brightness and weak sun.  The hazy conditions though meant that the views were limited somewhat although very atmospheric.  That day was our first proper hill walk since way back in September and the steep slopes of these relatively small Luss Hills gave our legs a good test!  I have to admit to feeling a little shattered as I made my way up the final steep section towards the summit of Beinn Dubh.  It was though, so good to be back!  We wandered along the broad ridge towards Mid Hill and finally found the perfect lunch spot that also gave quite dramatic views of the steep north facing slopes of Mid Hill, still holding large deep patches of snow.    We weren’t alone for our lunch though as soon after parking ourselves down, we were joined by a very fine looking Raven.  He or she wandered around about five metres from us and although we told it that it didn’t eat Primula Cheese filled bread rolls ….it wasn’t convinced.  Indeed, after a short while we were persuaded to offer a beak-full to this magnificent looking bird and after a few tentative forays, it came close enough to get the food.  And it seemed to like it too!  It stayed with us, waiting for further offerings.    These wonderful birds are great to watch when they are in the air as they tumble about doing crazy acrobatics, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one up so close on the ground.

A hazy day in the Luss Hills

A hazy day in the Luss Hills

 

Yesterday, after a very late start, (we didn’t start walking until 11.20 am) Nita and I were back to the Luss Hills again.  This time though, visiting some tops that we’d never been to before.  Beinn Chaorach at 713 m is the second highest point in the Luss Hills and sits to the south of Glen Luss, right on the edge of the divide between the Highlands and the Central Belt of Scotland.  We’d often thought about visiting these tops but for some reason, had never before got around to it.

Remains of heavy snow ... Beinn Dubh

Remains of heavy snow … Beinn Dubh

Like all of the Luss Hills, it was a very steep haul up to reach the broad connecting ridge that led over a couple of smaller tops to the rounded bulk of Beinn Chaorach.  Yesterday, unlike last Thursday, the air was incredibly clear and the views from this quite lofty little top were very big indeed.   Nita said that she could clearly see Ailsa Craig way down in the Firth of Clyde and even I could see the rugged tops of the Arran Mountains with my monocular.  We had a day of bright sun and dark clouds and it made for some beautiful scenes.  Patches of bright colours and deep shade moved across the landscape, and if it hadn’t been for the very cold wind, it would have been the perfect day for a lengthy stop. March being March however and despite it being officially spring and all that….. winter was still very much around.  Yesterday’s lunch break was therefore a far shorter affair than last weeks. The Beinn Dubh Raven didn’t spot us from the other side of the glen and so we didn’t have to share our sandwiches this time!

Heading for Beinn Chaorach, a steep climb ahead!

Heading for Beinn Chaorach, a steep climb ahead!

One of my pet hates I have to admit is being on a hill and hearing another walker talking into their mobile phone.  I guess I must be turning into one of those grumpy old men ….although Nita will tell you that I got there years ago.  Anyway, in the past, although I always took my phone with me on walks (in case of emergencies) I always kept it turned off.  Yesterday however, I managed to leave it turned on and half way back along the ridge, the phone starts ringing loudly.  Thankfully there were no other walkers around and so, there I stood, with half of southern Scotland stretched out before me, carrying on a conversation with a bloke working at Heathrow Airport!  It felt quite bizarre….I was in my Luss Hills office!

Beinn Chaorach, the Luss Hills

Beinn Chaorach, the Luss Hills

At the summit of Beinn Chaorach

-o-o-o-o-

A big little walk

Doune Hill from the slopes of Tullick Hill

Doune Hill from the slopes of Tullick Hill

One of the things I love about Scotland is that however well you think you know an area ….there is always something new to explore tucked away around the corner…..it’s great. Glen Douglas is just such a place. It runs from the western shores of Loch Lomond over to the eastern shores of Loch Long and a small single track road runs along its length connecting it to the main roads at either end. For year’s we’ve been driving past the end of this little road heading for other glens, or other hills and we’ve never really noticed or thought about it. On our annual visit to walk Beinn Dubh and Mid Hill however, we do, albeit briefly, get a view down into Glen Douglas …but that’s all we’ve ever seen of it ….until last Sunday that is.

On Tullich Hill

On Tullich Hill

The three hills to the north of Glen Douglas have not been completely out of mind though. I did a short winter walk with my friend Guy about ten years ago ….from Tarbet up steep slopes to the summit of Ben Reoch and it did make me realise what a great view point this group of hills made …especially of the Cobbler and its neighbours. So then, last weekend we decided to go and walk all three of these hills to the north of Glen Douglas ….making an interesting and quite strenuous little day.

Turning off the A82 just beyond the Inverbeg Inn, we were immediately impressed by how quiet and beautiful the glen was….a real little hidden gem. Indeed, in the bright spring morning light …well it looked stunning ….and these very modest hills somehow looked much bigger and more dramatic. The circuit we planned to do took in Tullich Hill, Ben Reoch and Beinn Bhreac, starting and finishing at Invergroin.

The Arrochar Alps from Tullich Hill

The Arrochar Alps from Tullich Hill

Access to the open hillside can be gained through a gate just beyond the bridge at Invergroin and from there it’s simply a case of making your way, at first, gently and then more steeply up the very obvious SE ridge of Tullich Hill. We’d only gone a very short distance when Anita spotted a very large bird …with several small birds following it. I barely saw it but Anita watched it for quite a while with a monocular and she was happy that it was a Golden Eagle she was watching ….a great start to the day. About half way up the ridge a small band of crags appears, but a steep band of grass leads through them and onto easier angled ground. Beyond this the ridge is a little more defined with the ground falling away steeply on your left with increasingly impressive views across to Doune Hill, Loch Long and as the ground eases as you near the summit, all the way to Arran and Ailsa Craig beyond. It’s a steep little climb and we were well glad of a sit down, sheltering from the cold wind behind a rock and just taking in the beauty and quietness of our surroundings.

The North Peak of the Cobbler, Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain from An t'Sreang

The North Peak of the Cobbler, Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain from An t'Sreang

Our next objective was the slightly higher top of Ben Reoch (661m) about 2km to the north east of us. To get there though is no easy stroll ….it involves descending just under 300m to the wild little col of An t’Sreang and then climbing very steep slopes to regain the height …plus a little, in order to reach the next summit. The views across to the Arrochar Alps were superb all the way. The Cobbler and Beinn Narnain had a little snow on them but their bigger neighbour Beinn Ime had a good covering and looked very dramatic against the now darker and mainly cloud covered sky. Near the top of the steep slopes my legs started to cramp and I made an undignified slump to the turf to wait for it to clear. It gave me a good chance to moan ….but then I remembered the views and forgot for a short while, about my complaining legs!

North from Ben Reoch

North from Ben Reoch

As you reach the small cairn marking the top of Ben Reoch, the views in the other direction really open up. The ground drops away in front of you and you can see for many miles up and down Loch Lomond. Across the water is Ben Lomond and to the north east the easily recognisable snow covered summits of Ben More and Stob Binnian.

Towards Beinn Bhreac

Towards Beinn Bhreac

By now it was about half past three and we still had quite a way to go across to our final summit of the day …Beinn Bhreac at 681m. Thankfully there isn’t another steep descent and climb between these two hills, just a gentle loss of height and a wander along a broad gently rising ridge. The final few metres are topped with small crags and the trig point sits atop a prominent little knoll high above Loch Lomond. It’s a lofty little spot and a great end to a fine circuit. The descent on steep grassy slopes back to Invergroin was easy albeit a little long winded ….with me going at my normal snails pace …but the views were still fine and as we got lower the late sun came out to give a bit of warmth and finish the day in style. We were tired though …we’d been walking for just on nine hours …..and as I said …there was quite a lot of up …and down ….Nita’s quote of the day as we walked the half kilometre back along the wee road to the car, ‘I’ve got legs like those of a rubber chicken!’ I knew how she felt …only thing for it was to head to the Inverbeg Inn for some much needed food.

Loch Lomond from the summit of Beinn Bhreac

Loch Lomond from the summit of Beinn Bhreac

-0-0-0-0-0-

Beinn Dubh ….or bust!

Near the starting point for Beinn Dubh

Near the starting point for Beinn Dubh

I had a wonderful time in Germany and the scenery around Speyer and the Pfalz was beautiful …the colours especially fine. But ……if there was one thing I missed (apart from my partner Anita of course) …it was the Scottish hills. When we got back to Irvine I was so busy that I couldn’t get out immediately. I’ve six paintings to complete for an exhibition at the Scotlandart.com gallery in Edinburgh at the end of October …so much to do.

I just had to get out though and so we decided that we’d go walking on Saturday. But you know what it’s like – you plan a walk and then the weather forecast is bad. The Friday of course was beautiful but Saturday looked like being grim indeed….very low cloud …albeit rising to between 300 and 500m as the day progressed, and patchy rain and drizzle. Not really a day for views and colours!

The first views of Loch Lomond

The first views of Loch Lomond

But of course, we just had to go. I’m really not very fit after almost five months without much in the way of steep ground and so we decided to head to the Luss hills ….a favourite short walk when we want to get the legs going again. It’s steep enough to know you’re on a hill and wild enough too …and if the weather is good …some great views….not that we expected to see them. This was going to be a chance to hone the navigation skills a little we thought.

We’re lucky living in Ayrshire as it’s only about an hours drive to the start of the Highlands and the southern end of Loch Lomond so we didn’t set out too early and arrived at Luss just after 11am. Amazingly, although there was thick low cloud and driving rain over some of the North Ayrshire hills, by the time we were north of the Clyde the cloud level had risen to around 800m and there were definite breaks with bits of blue sky. It was beautiful and as we followed the path up Beinn Dubh things improved further with patches of bright sun bringing out the early autumn colours and making it feel really quite warm. You quickly gain height and the views out over the southern end of Loch Lomond open out with every step…..giving you a great excuse when your legs are aching to stop and ‘admire the view’ ….which we did on a regular basis! By the time we were near the top even Ben Lomond was clearing spasmodically.

North from near Mid Hill

North from near Mid Hill

One of the things I love about the Scottish hills is just how quiet most of them are. Even on this beautiful Saturday, we only saw two other couples walking …hardly a crowd. It was so peaceful, just the sound of the breeze in the grass and the occasional bird. From the summit of Beinn Dubh the route follows around in a small horse shoe, dipping slightly to give great views down into Glen Douglas before rising again as the broad grassy ridge curves round to Mid Hill. The views NW towards the Arrochar hills are particularly good from here and on Saturday, particularly so with most of them in deep shadow by this time, illuminated occasionally by bright patches of sunlight. It looked fantastic as we started the steep descent into the glen and the wee road back to the start point. We ended our day with a celebratory ice cream back in Luss ….what a great little day!