Ben More

Ben More, a hill of two faces!, such a different and challenging walk. I wasn’t sure if I would do Stob Binnein I was going to see how I felt at the top and judge the weather conditions at that time. I parked up nice and early as the weather window was meant to hold until 1pm so I wanted to start off at the crack of dawn. So, 7 am and with the last wisps of a sunrise I set off up this hill, Ben More. The track was easy enough to begin with and it led me to the little sign at the start of the steps, steps, steps, and steps! But the steps were easy enough, but I did need to keep stopping to catch my breath. The poles really helped me negotiate the bigger steps, the weather was good, a light mist was hanging over the summit and the views behind me were just awe inspiring, the mist rose from the hill like ghostly spectres, they danced around and just mesmerised, giving me plenty of opportunity to stand and take a rest. The steps just kept on going, the summit didn’t seem to be getting any closer and it was taking its toll. I had to set myself little goals, so I started spotting stones up ahead and then challenging myself to get to that place without stopping. I named the smooth rock, the jaggy rock, the white rock, the Dundee rock ( because it was in the shape of the V and A museum). It worked and it kept me moving slowly upwards. Eventually the steps finished but the rocky path was still very easy to find and kept on zig zagging up the hill. There was a bit of scrabbling, which I actually really enjoyed and then the path disappeared into the mist, and it just kept on going and going! It took me just shy of 3 hours to reach the cairn and it was misty, cold, and windy. Occasionally the mist cleared for a few seconds, which actually really freaked me out, it looked so steep and I felt very exposed. I took a moment to swallow a quick cup of tea and then set off in looking for the path round the loop towards Stob Binnein. The rocks were huge and slippy and I had to climb over and slide down some of them, the mist was so thick and I had got a little cold, so best just to keep moving. Stob Binnein came briefly out of the mist and looked magnificent, but I made a sensible decision because the wind and mist was still unpredictable, and I did not do the ascent of Stob Binnein.

So, once I had decided that I headed straight down the hill, it was boggy and slippy and I ended up on my backside more than once. The burn and its many waterfalls kept me company and soothed my nerves as I made the descent, it seemed to take me so long to reach the flatter ground, it was very slow going. But eventually I worked my way down and trudged through the peaty bogs, stopping regularly to take in the beautiful waterfall. Then I eventually reached the track and found a lovely, sheltered spot for my lunch, before heading back along the easier ground and eventually back to the car.

I’m disappointed that I didn’t do Stob Binnein but its not going anywhere and it felt like the sensible decision at the time, the route up the steps and down the bogs took me six and a half hours….that feels such a long time! It’s something I need to get over, I need to not worry about how long these things take, I just need to enjoy the experience. I’m slow, I’m steady, but I get there and I need to let my head know that that’s just okay.

Stob Binnein….I will be back!