Ben Vane | The Munro that punches above its weight!

We started our hike up Ben Vane from the busy Inverglas car park and visitors centre. The car park is pay-and-display, so if you visit, be sure to have some change, although they have recently started to accept card payments for parking. On arrival, the car park was already busy with coach tours and people donning boots and extending hiking poles, getting ready to attempt one of the many mountain ascents starting from Inverglas.

The Arracher Alps are located west of Loch Lomond in one of the most popular hotspots of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Surrounded by mountains such as Ben Vorlich and Beinn Ime, Ben Vane stands proud in the middle of the Arracher range of mountains that dominate the skyline over Loch Lomond, seen from the West Highland Way. To avoid confusion, there is a second mountain (Corbett) called Benvane (one word) in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. You can read my Ben Vane journal report here.

Benvane | The gentle giant of Trossachs

Benvane is a soft hulk of a mountain that sits quietly in the shadow of its big brother, Ben Ledi. Climbing it would be a more joyous and solemoving adventure than I had ever expected!

Our Spectrum AdventuresIan Alderman

Eve and I have been looking forward to bagging Ben Vane for weeks! With Eve’s growing schedule of activities and my work pattern, it’s been increasingly difficult to find the days for these longer mountain hikes. We felt excited and enthusiastic, walking together with a spring in our step like toddlers on their way to a birthday party.

Walking down the A82, past the Loch Sloy Hydropower station, up the gated road towards Loch Sloy, we left the noise, smell, and hustle and bustle of the A82 behind. It’s in these moments that I experience a profound feeling of relief. A sense of unloading the stress and anxiety of life, making way for a feeling of calm anticipation for what lay ahead and the adventure we were embarking on. I cherish these moments as I walk beside Eve, living in the moment, void of distraction, looking forward to the last bar of phone signal dropping away into silence and solitude.

The road towards Loch Sloy is tarmac, which was built for access so workers could reach the dam at Loch Sloy. The road isn’t particularly enjoyable to walk on, but it’s easy and allows us to get into a good walking rhythm and talk about nothing in particular.

Very soon, we were at the foot of Ben Vane and enjoying our first proper break of the day. As we sat on rocks on either side of the mountain path, a couple walked past us with a dog. The dog was a Chihuahua. This excited Eve greatly. I made small talk (as much as an autistic man can) with the couple as Eve petted the dog and cooed over it. The dog, enjoying the attention, did not look impressed with what lay ahead! The couple, however, were attentive dog owners, clearly aware of the dog's limitations. They explained that they had sufficient room in their backpack, should the dog need to be carried, and we saw them several times later carrying the dog and feeding it lots of treats! 

The walk up Ben Vane starts by following a stone path leading us steeply uphill. To some, these stone steps, an abomination, are highly controversial with some hillwalkers. The steps are put in mostly by volunteers to help protect the mountain and keep the foot track to a path to prevent a much larger area of damage, scarring and erosion to the mountain. As much as you and I would love to see mountains and all the wild regions of Scotland void of any human impact, this is simply not possible. These steps are vital to help protect the hillside and limit the damage we all cause, intentionally or not.

The stone steps inevitably end, giving way to a rougher mountain path dominated by rocks, boulders, small crags and a mini cave that obviously we both had to explore! There was also one small area of wet ground that we had to navigate carefully to avoid getting our feet wet.

The route up Ben Vane from the main track at the base of the hill to the summit is steep and unforgiving. The mountain path gradually morphs from a challenging walk to a rough, hard-to-navigate scramble up steep rock involving hands, knees and even elbows, with little to no indication of the best or safest direction to climb!

Attempting one of the more challenging scrambles towards the summit, we met one of the few people we saw on Ben Vane. A young man who was descending offered us some good advice on which direction to take on a particularly tricky section. He had also made the same error Eve and I were about to make. We heeded his advice, and once above the rocks in a safer position, we were very pleased we had. The route I had chosen was impassable. The route would have lead us onto a sheer rock face with only a treacherous retreat being our only option for escape.

One of the many things I love about the outdoors is the camaraderie between people passionate about exploring these wild places. In the streets of our towns and cities, we don’t spark up conversation, offer help or receive it kindly. In the wild, it’s very different, where we share a common sense of purpose. A unity exists that binds us and kindles friendship to support each other on our quests of discovery.

The rocky scramble continued until reaching the summit of Ben Vane, a surprisingly flat—small plateau covered in short mountain grasses intersected with smoothed rock from decades of Munro baggers. The flat summit of Ben Vane came as a welcome relief to Eve and me. The change from rock to grass felt out of character—a stark shift in the grey rock we had been walking over. We found a place to sit, catch our breath, and take the obligatory photographs and 360-degree video. 

It was now 2 o'clock, and stomachs were grumbling, and legs needed rest. Lunch was now the priority. We found a place to sit on one of the rocks. Eve removed her socks and trainers, letting her feet breathe and rest in the breeze.

We briefly shared the summit with a couple. The same couple we met at the start of the mountain path with the Chawawa. We didn’t speak. Exchanging brief looks and a nod was all needed to acknowledge each other. They were in their moment as we started ours, both captivated and in awe of the spectacle around us. Mountains stretched out as far as we could see. A haze clocking the mountains added to the atmosphere of calm suspense. Sitting in the summits of these Scottish giants is the closest we get to flying with birds. Sitting on Ben Vane, I was flying as high as any bird can, lost in the feeling of the wind beneath our metaphorical wings. 

We stayed on the summit for about an hour until the inevitable decision had to be made–to start the slow descent off Ben Vane. The descent followed the same mountain path as the ascent, with every footstep taken with care and purpose. With tired legs, we were acutely aware that one slip, trip, or fall could turn a challenging walk into an impossible one!

We stopped regularly to rest, sip water and snack on peanuts and raisins. We were taking all the time we needed to descend safely. One of the things that makes me feel calmer in the mountains is both of us carrying a head torch–even in the height of summer. Carrying a head torch stops the worry of losing daylight, preventing the rush to beat the fading light that inevitably leads to accidents. Although we didn’t need to use our head torches today, knowing they were there gives us the freedom to take all the time we need!

We reached Ben Vane's base with no issues or incidents. Even completing the scrambles in reverse was much easier than we had expected! But that's not to say we didn’t have a day free from accidents.

Eve had safely navigated herself over rough rock and ascended and descended thousands of feet, but in her tiredness, she tripped over her feet on flat tarmac, just before reaching the A82. There was a certain irony in it! She grazed her hand, her elbow ripped her trousers and bloodied her knee! We sat in the middle of the gated road, hugging and applying Savlon with sticky plasters. Eve was most upset about her trousers and the shock of falling. The pain was dulled by emotion and adrenaline. We walked the last section hand in hand and talked of the joy of being outdoors and plans for the next adventure.

Reaching the car park at Inverglas, it was now 7 pm and deserted, except for one family of wild swimmers changing out of wetsuits. Taking the final obligatory photographs, we headed home. 

Ben Vane gave us a fantastic, magnificent and soul-stirring day in the mountains of Scotland, but wasn’t without its challenges. Ben Vane was harder than we thought, taking longer than we expected. Although, honestly, what slowed us the most was the time we spent standing to admire the spectacle around us, lost in our thoughts and feelings with no comprehension of the time passing us by.

Would we recommend Ben Vane? Absolutely! It's perfectly achievable by most people if you take your time. Allow yourself longer than you expect–and expect it to be more challenging than you might expect! 

Thank you so much for reading about our climb up Ben Vane. If you enjoyed it as much as we did, please consider buying us a coffee or a new pair of trousers for Eve! Thank you. Ian & Eve 🙏

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