BEN REOCH (2168')

Report based on entry in Glip's personal log

Sunday 15th April        Ben Rioch (2168')

Leaders: Glip and Jim Blair

Party: Roderick MacCrorie, Derek Speirs, Colin Beaton and Alistair Blair

Report

Due to an inconveniently timed Scout parade at 2:30 PM today, we met at 7:30 AM at Scout Headquarters in an attempt to climb Beinn an Lochain (the original target) in the morning and be back for the parade in the afternoon. The Loch Lomond road was pleasantly quiet and we reached the Rest and be Thankful at 8:50 AM,  and were ready for the mountain by 9.00 AM.

Conditions looked tricky since a fall of snow during the night had covered the mountains with a thin coating of snow right down to about 1000 feet. Also, the clouds looked threatening and were hovering about 2700 feet. A strong wind was indicated at the top by the speed of the clouds. However, it was still dry.

Glip ruled out Beinn an Lochain and we set off for Beinn Luibhean (2811’), although Glip was suspicious about that thin coating of snow despite everyone having ice axes.  Those suspicions were proved justified when we reached the snow line, where Roderick’s boots proved treacherous on the thin slippy surface. So we quickly traversed round from our ascent route (SW) to the easier West slope and descended back to the cars for about 10am.

Despite the wasted hour, we were determined to do something, so Ben Reoch was the obvious choice. By ten thirty a.m., we were starting up the mountain from the church in Arrochar, negotiating fences and railway lines etc. Roderick usually supplied good entertainment at these obstacles.

The ascent, after the railway line, is straightforward, but Colin was having problems due to tiredness and his boots rubbing. Nevertheless, we all reached the summit to be rewarded with sunshine and a good few of Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond. From the summit we coul also see that the weather was still pretty foul at the Rest and be Thankful.

We had a quick 10 minute lunch and started back down at 12:10. Colin, unfortunately, had to move fairly slowly because of blisters, and Roderick, very sensibly, kept him company and yattered on about stamp collecting.

At about one p.m., we were off the mountain and, after a very quick toast to the hill, we sped off back to Greenock. Percy maintained a healthy speed from Balloch onwards, but still got passed by Jim Blair’s BMW as if he had been standing still.

We were all dropped off home by 2.00-2.10pm and everybody managed to change into uniform and get down to the parade for the 2.30 start with time to spare -  proving all the sceptics wrong.  A lot of people had said we would never manage the mountain and get back in time.

The service at the James Watt college was not as good as being in a proper church. For a start, there was the constant noise of shuffling feet and moving chairs etc. The Catholic minister made a tactical error at the start by applauding each member of the platform party in turn when everybody was standing to attention for the flags to come in. The hymns were largely unknown, the handing back of the colours was mucked up to begin with. On the positive side, the Rev Ian Black’s sermon on ‘Donkey’ was excellent and he maintained attention by throwing a ball all over the hall.

​