The “Big” Ben More

 Munro baggers will know that there are two of their objectives that are called Ben More.  The Mull version is possibly better known as it is the only Munro on that island and is quite often kept to be many compleaters’ final summit.  But the mountain that looms over Crianlarich is a mountain that commands respect.

Ten club members set out from Inverardran Cottage which is the superb base of our hosts, the Ochils Mountaineering Club.  We walked alongside the A85 on the course of the old railway before starting uphill just past Benmore Farm.  The zig-zag track led to the start of the pitched path that relentlessly gains height.

Ben More is a TRAIL 100 mountain and is described by TRAIL magazine as “sadistically steep”; it’s not wrong!  We walked up towards the snow line and as the snow became more abundant than occasional patches, just above the start of the old stone dyke, we put on our crampons.  Progress now became a lot easier.

Cruach Ardrain

The boilerplate characteristics of the snow showed that it had gone through quite a few freeze-thaw cycles as the sunny days melted the surface and the nights of clear skies refroze the top layer of water.  These conditions were widely reported across Scotland at the time and in the days that immediately followed, resulting in many walkers being caught out, lulled on to the hills by seemingly attractive conditions but finding themselves have to deal with bullet névé.

Ben Lui & Ben Cruachan

The views became more expansive as height was gained with Ben Lui and Ben Cruachan particularly catching the eye to the west.  We took a line slightly to the left of a direct summit bearing and curved around to the right as we neared the top.  Whether the true summit is the cairn or the trig point, I had my photo taken at both to satisfy myself that I had actually reached the highest point of the mountain.  All the ground was shrouded by layers of snow subjected to cycles of freeze thaw and there was a slight breeze compounding the sub-zero temperature; we took shelter in the natural cleft a few feet below, and just to the west, of the summit pillar.

Ben Lawers & Loch Tay

Ben Vorlich & Stuc a' Chroin

Many summits, near and far, completed the impressive panorama.  Bens Lomond, Lui, Cruachan and Lawers could be seen from the south to the north-east.  Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’ Chroin were prominent just south of east.  Neighbouring Stob Binnein dominated just over a mile to the south.  And a tantalising glimpse of the Paps of Jura 70 miles to the south-west was a surprising highlight.

Stob Binnein from Ben More summit

Stob Binnein from just above the bealach

We had become a group of four as the faster amongst us continued well ahead of us.  As we descended south towards Bealach-eadar-dha Bheinn I spotted a group of people and immediately feared the worst.  I soon recognised a few people from our original 10 and as I got nearer was told that one of our party had taken a tumble and had sustained arm, shoulder and possibly rib injuries.

Luckily a group of Manchester and District (MAD) Ramblers were quickly with him quickly followed by a member of the Tayside Mountain Rescue Team who was out on a walk with his wife.  Telephone conversations were had and soon the Prestwick based Coastguard rescue helicopter was on the scene and our casualty was promptly airlifted to hospital in Glasgow, no doubt reaching the warm indoors before any of us!

AIRLIFT!

AgustaWestland AW189    G-MCGT 

We all took the traversing descent path down to Benmore Glen with the group once again splintering based on differing levels of fitness and fatigue.

Such a taxing day resulted in the night’s meal being hailed as the finest of feasts.