Ben Bowie bound today for the short walk up the 313m hike between the River Clyde and Loch Lomond,starting on the A818 near Daligan farm.The walk is fairly straight forward and follows a farm track through Bannachra muir forest before skirting off through a firebreak which leads onto the 3 peaked summit,all of which oddly enough measure up to the same 313m.Normally there are good views to be had all around but unfortunately the low cloud obscured the visibility today despite a very strong and biting cold North wind.Arrived at the peak in around 45 minutes which was well-timed as i had posted a sota alert for around 12:45 meaning i was 10 minutes early.

As this was a mini sota trip and my coaxial bnc connector had still to be repaired from last weeks outing,idecided the small rubber duck antenna

Ben Bowie view South over clyde coast

would do me today.After trying to find a spot out of the wind and a bite to eat i switched the vx-2 on and heard Niel NCM/P signing off with Bobby GAX. I gave Neil a call and got a 4/1 report back which was ok for starters as he was up near Tyndrum on CS-050 Beinn Odhar.Had a word with Bobby who was out and about above Greenock when Robin (PKT) broke through for the second summit to summit,he was beaming down from Morvern on another 1 pointer WS-308. The next contacts came from just across the water in Inverclyde with regulars Steve (UAU) & Roddy (IOB).

Having qualified the hill and thinking i had exhausted the contacts with what i was using plus the wx was pretty poor i decided to head home and retraced my steps back towards the car park.The return journey took just 35 minutes and the drive home took not much longer.

I must return some day but perhaps in the summer time as idon’t think the views

were anywhere as good as they could have been,a great wee hill which could easily be tied in with something else or ideal for a morning meander.Roddy had asked if the hill was dog friendly and i would say yes,apart from the gate at start point where there was a stile to tackle,there were no sign of sheep although i did read another report elsewhere where the author advised of  loads of ticks during the summer months.

Another point in the bag (only another 772 to go hi),thanks go to GAX & UAU for the sota spots.

73′s

white sea below

SUNDAY 6TH NOVEMBER

Before leaving the home QTH i had to scrape the ice off the car for the first time this winter,overnight temperature fell to well below zero.Left home at 0730 for the one hour drive North to the Ben Ledi car park which lies aprx 5 miles North of Callander in Stirlingshire.The journey passed through some thick fog bands and were in clear sunshine and blue sky one minute,thick fog and very poor visibility the next.

This was to be my 3rd visit to this hill with my last trip back on 15/06/2008.Due to the popularity of this 2,884 foot hill i decided to arrive reasonably early as the parking spaces soon get taken up,especially on a Sunday and glad i did too,there were only about another 6 cars there before me unlike the return when about 50 cars lined the verges.

The path is fairly straight forward and initially leads off through the trees,after crossing a forestry road the views open up with plenty of neighbouring hills poking through the low-lying fog.Loch Lubnaig was completely buried beneath the sea of fog and time was taken at this point to get a photo in of the amazing scenes.

One hour and fifty-five minutes after leaving the car the trig point on Ledi was reached,greeted by strong N.W winds i was able to take shelter on

Looking West from summit.

the top Easter side of the summit well away from the frenzy of  newly arriving walkers.Lunch consisted of a flask of tomato soup with a couple of banana’s to keep my blood flowing.The 3 element sotabeam was then set up and vx2 attached for some sota action.

Ken & Christine (AXY/YMM) from Edinburgh and Steve (UAU) from Greenock were first in the logbook today,thanks for the sota spots to both! .Further contacts were made to Inverclyde with fellow sota’ists Bobby and Roddy (GAX&IOB) Falkirk regular Andy(USU) KGB in Irvine,PJD in Biggar,HMC-Linlithgow and best dx for the day goes to Tom (XHZ) near Arbroath.Summit to summit contacts for the day go to Adrian (TAI)who was over in the east today instead of his usual Inverness area on one of the Lomonds SS-154,Jack and Anne (COX & UXX) were also out on the Lomond hills this time on SS-198. Finally Robert (GUF) popped up on his old favourite haunt Tinto during a contest break.

Returned back the same route this time.Most of the fog had cleared around Ben Ledi although the central belt was still covered.The wallace monument at Stirling and the Grangemouth refinery chimney were clearly visible poking through the fog base to the S.E.   I was back home for 14:25 from the 36 mile trip back down the A81 road to Glasgow.

Thanks to all stations for the contacts.

view South East from Ben Ledi summit

Until the next time…..73

2M0GIL/P

Managed to find myself a free Sunday and with the wx looking good i decided to head for the hills again.It was almost 2 months since my last sota activation so the legs were not in the best shape.Armed with plenty of fluids i departed the home qth at 8am.Up the usual route on the A82 Loch Lomondside,turned left at Crianlarich,then left at Tyndrum along the A85 Dalmally road where there is a large car park with plenty of space.Got kitted up and was ready for the off at 09.30am.

The way up !

From the car park there is a short walk to the river Lochay which has to be crossed,fortunately it was not in spate and managed across without too much difficulty by using a trail of stepping stones.Up the embankment and over the rail line where the main path can be picked up again.The route follows the Eas Diamh stream through the forest.I read from reports that the best way to go was branch off at a small cairn,i dismissed the cairn and headed on until i came to an opening where a forestry sign advised caution and no entry.After the struggle with the protruding beam and mast through the pine tree’s i did not fancy retreating so carried on regardless.After a short while i noticed a track leading off the forrest which led up to a new looking access gate and a Ben Lui information board.From here onwards there was a track which could be followed up the hillside where the views began to open out.I then had the choice of a direct route up to the top of Lui but as it looked terribly steep i opted for the gentler approach onto the bealach between Chleibh and Lui.As i was slightly ahead of schedule i thought i would do the easier summit first which took me onto the flat summit after a further 25 minute climb.Only one other walker there on the non sota summit which stands at a height of  916 metres.Lovely views here especially towards Loch Awe with the Cruachan range sitting behind it.After a short break and photo it was time to move on again and retraced my footsteps back down to the bealach.So far so good! The next stretch was a killer for me.The heat of the mid-day sun and the extra fluids in the rucksack made the final aproach onto Lui extremely hard going.There is a path wich is easily followed through scree up to the top.When i eventually summited the views were magnificient in all directions.The last munro i came off looked like a small hump compared to this giant at 1130 metres.Not a cloud to be seen anywhere and the islands of Mull and Jura along with the Nevis and Cairngorm ranges were visible.Even Dumgoyne at the campsies with Glasgow poking its nose out the side were spotted.

Beinn a Cheibh

  Time for lunch and Tomato soup was dish of the day along with a pork roll and some fruit,then time to set up the radio gear and see who was about.First staion in the log was Iain WJZ/P who was activating Stob Dubh (ws-126) and Robin PKT/P was on WS-022 Stob Ghabhar.Best contact of the day was EYO/P Allan who was in the lake district on LD-041 (Binsey).Bobby GAX/P was standing by high above Port Glasgow while his near neighbour Roddy IOB/m was out and about too.A tractor mobile station Alex NFC/M  who i have worked several times before from the hilltops was out in his fields near Ayr.The Ayr radio group called me from Ailsa Craig who were just about to leave the island after spending the weekend there.Thanks go to David RAM at Falkirk for the sota spot.Andy USU who is a regular chaser also called through.Allan XXP was in the log just before he headed of to corse hill.UKZ in Glasgows South side was also logged along with Jack COX.

The station was dismantled at 3.30 pm and made a quick exit down to the car in only 1:45 hours.I returned the way i wanted to approach which was really a mistake as the route was a complete mud bath and i stumbled over a grass tuff and ended up covered from head to toe in the black stuff.I knew the path was well known for mud but after a reasonably dry spell i never anticipated such a obstacle.Got to the car park at 5.15pm and made my way South,everything going fine until i hit the notorious jam on the A82 before Luss.A 9 mile tailback which held me back and arrived home after 7pm.

                                   Distance driven was 121 miles.

73.   2M0GIL..

Looking towards Cononish

Sunday 01/05/2011                                              It may be a bank holiday weekend here for some,but unfortunately not for me.Having just done another six day week,i couldn’t be bothered with the usual routine getting up early so decided to sleep on this morning for a while.As it happens this is International Sota Weekend & with that in mind thought i should make the effort to participate at some level.After a series on 3,000 feet + Munro’s i plumped for the scenic hump of Conic hill,which is situated on the SE part of Loch Lomond above Balmahaat a height of  361 metres.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

CODY ON CONIC

    This walk starts off from the top of the very large car park at Balmaha which was bursting at its seems when i arrived,the warm temperatures and unbroken sunshine had encouraged half of Glasgow down to yon bonnie banks today.I think i got the last parking spot and was surprised to see so many foreign tourists swarming around especially as it was only 1st May.

                               I skipped the mad crowds going up the tourist path and made my own way heading directly North from the car park up through pine forests and although not a recognised route,i found a way which led up in the direction of the summit,my companion for the day was my long-haired dog Cody who was exhausted in the heat.The route i took eventually met up with the main track which had a steady flow of walkers who mingled with folk doing the West Highland Way coming in the opposite direction.Soon the top of Conic was reached and there must have been around THIRTY people on the top.  The wind was extremely strong blowing in from the North,so had to find a spot for the radio which was both sheltered and as quiet as possible.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Tried 145mhz with a broken rubber duck to begin with and heard Roddy IOB/P on Cruach Ardrain GM/ss-004,he was operating there today with Bobby GAX/P on a joint activation,after working both stations Neil NCM/P came in from GM/SS-164.With the wind causing a few problems i found a reasonable sheltered area off the summit and wrestled with the beam and pole,next was Barry XFM/P on Ben Lawers GM/CS-001 and the last summit to summit contact was Jack on GM/SS-165.Other stations that called through were in Helensburgh and Edinburgh.Not too many folk around on VHF today other than the Sota regulars .The calls dried up after 30/40 minutes so followed the path down the Highland Way route back to the car and a pleasant half hour journey home in glorious sunshine.

Till the next time!  73.

Graeme..    2M0GIL 

SGIATH CHUIL-Meaning the corner wing.      Grid reference NN463318.   Height-3,021 feet.

The day was Easter Monday and it was a good opportunity to take in a couple more munro’s and earn a few more sota points.6am rise and after a few last-minute gatherings i was off and running at 0730 for the fifty-three mile drive North up past the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond until reaching Crianlarich where i branched off towards Killin,just after passing Loch Lubhair in Glen Dochart the walk begins on the access road to Auchessan farm.

From the farm both of todays summits can be seen from above the moorland,soon the first obstacle of the day is encountered as the path leads through farmland-a herd of wild horned highland cattle guarding the gate and a single menacing looking goat which looked like it did’nt know whether to run or attack.I managed to sneak on by but one of the girls in a group following up behind got a kick off it.

The path takes a few swings and is very enjoyable at this stage with nice views down Glen Dochart,Ben More dominates from the South.passing some lovely rock pools alongside the stream the path eventually opens up onto the moorland where the track disappears,just before reaching a dam the burn is crossed and the mighty clamber up the SW side slope of Sgiath Chuil is made.A strange summit is eventually reached as you cant see it untill the last few minutes coming in from that direction.

Despite being a national holiday there were few folk around,even less on the radio as i found out soon after setting up the 2 meter equipment,Bobby GM7GAX/P was standing by on Corlic hill above Port Glasgow for my first contact,only another four stations worked before a few pictures taken and some sandwiches eaten.I could see Meall Glas on the opposite ridge and knew what was ahead so time to move on.

Headed off on a track Northbound until i reached a bealach where i descended off down very steep slopes until reaching level ground around 600m to be faced with another steep haul up to 937m where the top is reached,namely Beinn Cheathaich.From this point i can focus in on my last summit of Meall Glas which lay 1km the the West along a relatively straight forward path.

Meall Glass meaning-Greenish ,  Grey hill  Grid Ref-NN431322 , Height- 3,145 feet (959 metres)

On arrival at the summit i was joined by two other solitary walkers ,the wx had improved as the day went on and great views were had all around.Ben Nevis was clear to the North and the heat of the sun was stirring up a haze over the peaks further West,there was a very cold North wind blowing but was able to shelter in behind the summit cairn,after a bit more to eat i set up the radio again.

And again old faithful Bobby was still standing by for the 1st on the 2nd hill,a further six contacts were made with best distance down to a mobile station on M74 near Lesmahagow.I could hear G & GI stations but unable to return the call back.Time was getting on and it was going to take at least a couple of hours to return to the car,without delay it was time to pack up and head over pathless boggy moorland for the walkout.

Hazy view from summit

Overall,i had an enjoyable day out with great weather,2 meters on the radio side were pretty poor but perhaps more people were working than sitting in shacks or maybe the signals were blocked by the over shadowing beast of Ben More? who knows.Hopefully wont be too long before im back out again,thanks for Ken (AXY) in Edinburgh and to Bobby (gm7gax) in Inverclyde for the sota spots.

73

2M0GIL..

View towards Loch Lomond

SUNDAY 17TH APRIL 2011

I had these two Munro’s pencilled in for a while,so routes and map were printed off during the week and with the wx looking good for the weekend,the decision was made to climb both on the Sunday.I also got word of Neil NCM through email that he was planning on activating Ben Oss on same day so we timed our plans as best we could to avoid tramping on each others toes.

Fell out of bed around 06.30 and was more prepared this time having made up the sandwiches the night before and packed the rucksack except for last minute items.Grabbed some breakfast and walked the dog before heading North up the A82 Loch Lomondside,where you branch off to the left at Crianlarich towards Tyndrum.The car park is a few miles short of Tyndrum at Dalrigh.Beinn Dubhchraig was to be my first ascent of the day and started the walk at 9am.Firstly crossing the West highland way then along a track which was soon left to cross the Alt Gleann Auchreoch water by boulder hopping.The path was followed through some ancient pine forest which was pretty boggy under foot as it passed by some rock pools and large waterfall before opening up to open moorland and a clear SE route up towards the summit of Dubhchraig.Fine views of Ben Lui are to be had at this point which lies just to the on the other side of Ben Oss.On reaching the summit (978 metres)i sheltered behind the stone cairn from the Westerly wind and had a food break in glorious unbroken sunshine,looking down on the full length of Loch Lomond.                    

The 3 element beam was set up and hooked up to the VX-2 as usual.Seemed to be a good vhf position as i was able to work some nice contacts which included 5 summit to summit contacts including one of 240 miles(386 km) down to Wales where Barry BDV/P was to be found,others included COX/P on GM/CS-010,PKT/P on GM/CS-043,EYO/P on GM/CS-005 and XXP/P on GM/SS-003.Many thanks to the others that called by which were regulars;YMM,AXY,HMZ,IOB & GAX.As much as i would liked to have stayed put on SS-009 it was time to move on.I waited with the rubber duck for some time after bringing the beam down hoping to catch Neil NCM who i knew was on route to Oss but nothing heard and it was up sticks time and off to Oss.

VIEW SOUTH FROM BEN OSS

The route retraced my steps back down the ridge where there was still some large pockets of snow lying,the rocky route passes some small lochans and continues onto the Bealach Buidhe where there is a nice view over Loch Oss,i continued on a stalkers path before heading up onto the NE top of Ben Oss (1029 metres).On arrival i could see Neil’s antenna near to the summit,he had found himself a nice operating position out of any wind and we had a chat and took some photo’s while i caught my breath back again.Ben Oss was in and out the sunshine unlike Lui where XXP/P was operating from &  despite being just the next hill was almost always shrouded in cloud on the summit.Dubhchraig on the other hand remained soaked in sunshine.                                 

I started my qso’s from Neils handset which were my first ever 4m contacts with Bobby GAX/P and Alan XXP/P s2s from Ben Lui,then tied up a few more summit to summit contacts with Jack COX/P who had now moved onto GM/CS-041 also Robin PKT/P still on GM/CS-043 & Alan XXP/P this time on 2m.Stations were also heard on this summit from G,GI & GW but was unable to contact perhaps because of only running 1.5w.Thanks to all the other stations that called in again,mostly from the central parts of Scotland.

OSS AND LUI GM/SS-005 AND SS-009

Time was beginning to run away so thought it best to break the station down and on doing so Neil decided to call it a day too.It was going to be a long walk out back to the car.We made a decision on our route and decided to make a shortcut as neither of us fancied a gruelling 350ft  climb back up our inward route.Instead we cut across the Western slopes of Dubhchraig from the bealach like a couple of mountain goats,not much of a shortcut in terms of time but maybe saved a bit of energy,dont think i would recommend or repeat this way if ever doing it again though.After a short while we picked up my original track which turned out to be slightly different from Neils approach and continued over lots of squelching and tree dodging on the return.Neil had a quick look at his gps and predicted his much drier route would be a better idea,both agreeing,we diverted off aprx 500 metres towards to one side where we picked up a bridge that safely led us to normality again.Once on the recognised path we were back at the car to be greeted by Neil’s other half Cat and the moonlight night drive home back down LochLomondside.                                                                                                                                                            

I made it home just before 10pm,scoffed a full plate of mince & tatties before heading off for a well earned snooze.A fantastic day out in the hills with another two munro’s under my belt along with 14 sota activator points.Many thanks to Neil NCM for his company and for putting up with my lengthy and waterlogged route.Thanks also as usual to all the callers and to the spotters.

Until the next time-73′s

Graeme..       2M0GIL

This is the start of British summer time so having lost an hours sleep a shorter journey was planned to Glen Ample to coincide with the Sota UHF fun day.

Forecast looked ok.Fighting back a heavy cold i decided to go for it and got packed up and ready to go by 0815,not too far into the journey i was stopped at a road block on the A81 due to tree felling and had to detour through Killearn(why no previous warnings or diversion signs?)following on through Callander and parking up at a large parking bay beside Loch Luibnaig which is the same start point as a previous blog for Beinn Each.After booting up i started my walk at 0930 for the walk up Sgiath a’ Chaise NN583169. 645M/2,116FT.

A nice track leads through a fairly steep stretch of forest which gave me the chance to sweat my cold out,soon through the trees and onto a fine path which heads up Glen Ample.Spring is definitely here as the route was  littered by frog spawn all the way along the path,after passing a new sign post for the neighbouring corbett  Beinn Each on the right hand side,i struck off up the hillside on my left which was mainly heather and tussock ground.The first top is soon reached which is named Creag a’Mhadaidh and from here it is a straight forward line of sight walk in to the summit of Sgiath a’Chaise.The summit itself  is nothing to write about but nice views N & S.The W. is dominated by Ben Ledi and Ben Vane with Ben Each,Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’chroin holding up the views to the East. 

    This poor wee chappie had come to a grizzly end at the foot of Sgiath a’chaise

    Looking east towards Beinn Each (far right)

    And Ben Vorlich an Stuc a’chroin to the Left

 Set up the beam using an old iron fence post as a mast support and managed 2 summit to summit contacts on 70cm which were TAI/P on GM/SS-015  and Bobby GM7GAX/P on GM/SS-027.The same stations were worked on 2M as well as IOB/P (also on SS-027) FMF/P on GM/SS-037,COX/P on GM/SS-025 and PKT/P on GM/CS-017.Also managed a WOTA station in Cumbria on Wandope LDW051.Thanks to RAM and XXP for alerting on sota and to all the other stations worked on the day.

A late decision on this one,with only another week left for the winter bonus points on sota it was to be my nearest hill on the “Summits On The Air” tables which is my old haunt Earls seat high up in the campsie fells.This was to be my third activation on this hill,not because of it being a favorite but  only due to the close proximity of the home qth.The last time i activated it was back in December 2009 when there was a lot of snow around and temperatures were sub-zero,conditions today were much better as in the fact that the winter snow had already melted and we had no rain,however the cold wind blowing in from the South made the air feel extremely chilly.Visibility today was very disappointing and would estimate approximately 2 miles,in good conditions this would easily be in the range of 50 + miles

Summit in the distance.GM/SS-126

Managed to get the last parking space outside Glengoyne distillery on the A81 road just south of Killearn in Stirlingshire and left the car around 11.15am,straight up the torturous Dumgoyne tourist track before skirting round the West side of this very popular landmark.Up onto the top ridge where i bumped into my brother and sister in-law on their return from Earls Seat.After leaving Garloch hill (543m) the top of Earls seat comes into view and the track leads Eastward towards Earls trigpoint.

LEFT; another 30 minutes walk to Earls Seat which is the highest point on the photograph.

 The hard work was done early on in this walk and the summit was reached 1 hour 45 minutes after leaving the car,on arrival there were around 20 others having lunch from a Stirling walking group,after a chat i set up the antenna and fixed it to a nearby fence post which was as near out of the wind as i was going to get.

1st in today was regular chaser and fellow blogger Bobby GM7GAX ,thanks also to him for the spot,managed another 15 contacts after him including a personal best of five summit to summit contacts including Jim GLM/P on Stronend ,Neil NCM/P on Penvalla,Alan XXP/P on Black Mount,Barry XFM/P on Ben Ledi and sota king Robin PKT/P on Beinn Odhar.Good to see so many GM’ers out in the winter period and cant forget the chasers either,regulars Ken & Christine through in Edinburgh to Steve,Roddy & Bobby in the West around Inverclyde area,futherest South today was Denis near Girvan,Robin got top spot in the N just above Tyndrum.Thanks to everyone else in between.

Straight forward return by the same route,stopped by at the Garloch cairn shelter to munch a cheese roll and heat up with a flask of hot coffee.Plent of other walkers around today especially on the summit of Dumgoyne,the walk back was a lot easier and as i approached the start point i was greeted by the smell of the malted hops wafting the air close to the whisky distillery.A nice 15 minute drive back home and distance driven was only 16 miles total.

73.  Graeme..         2M0GIL

Time to get out again before another month slips by,this time it was deep in the heart of the Trossachs and Meall Gainmheich was the target.

Wx forecast was not great with strong winds and snow showers above 450m, easing off in afternoon with sunny spells developing.This turned out to be pretty inaccurate as the short half hour drive to Aberfoyle was done in glorious unbroken sunshine with no signs of showers,after the short drive over the Dukes pass i was soon at the large Ben A’an car park on the Western shores of Loch Achray.Time was now around 10.20am & only 4 other cars parked up which seemed strange for a Sunday considering the first part of the walk is one of the most popular walks in the tourist guides.Soon got kitted up and on my way.

      This is my third time up this stretch so knew the path well,very different from my attempt at Gainmheich last year where the low cloud and rain forced abandonment.The early stretch of the forest route was filled with the sound of blue tit song and the cascading sound of the nearby burn making it very enjoyable.The views were beginning to open up on the rise with a hint of spring in the air although the colours remained dark with browns predominant.

     A short while later i met the first people out walking which were an elderly couple who were interested in the poles sticking out from my rucksack,after explaining a bit about sota they reckoned that someone else on the same hill had passed them earlier with similar looking equiipment.I kept an open mind about this unknown person as nothing was posted on the sota alerts page before i left the qth earlier and continued upward bound.Soon reached the Ben A’an top which never fails to amaze with spectacular views down Loch Katrine & across to neighbouring Ben Venue,stopped here for a soup break and took a couple of photos before trying to work out the best route to the true summit of this hill which is Meall Gainmheich at a height of 564m.

                 No easy route from here on,not even as much as a rabbit track,the only guide is a old fence which eventually leads near the summit,heather and bog with more heather and bog.As i trudged my way on in a NE direction i was able to spot what looked like a sota pole on the distant top,i fired up the handset just incase i was able to find out who was activating up ahead but nothing heard on 2 metres .One and a quarter hours after leaving Ben A’an i reached the top to find Andy MM0FMF/P sitting in a hollow out the wind ,we were both very surprised to meet one another in such a remote location.Andy was on cw hf while i set up the 3 ele beam on vhf.We both done our own thing and operated as best we could in difficult wind conditions.

          I managed 14 contacts including two summit to summits with Neil NCM on GM/CS-021 & Alan XXP on GM/SS-143,only two new contacts among them with a regular list of chasers appearing in the logbook.Thanks to Ken AXY for the spot and to all the other people who took time to call in.

LEFT- photo is Ben A’an summit looking down on Loch Katrine.

Picture courtesy of Andy http://www.flickr.com/photos/mm0fmf/5483420518/in/pool-sota_pics/

We both headed out together after the radio work was done and the return seemed much shorter and simpler due to having the company of a fellow activator by my side,very enjoyable day out but not the easiest of two pointers,glad we got an extra 3 points for the winter bonus.Home for around 5.30pm.

                   Distance travelled by car was only 55 miles.

    73′s until the next time..

Andy MMOFMF

Thought it was time to air the walking boots again as the winter weather had put a stop on all my walking activities.Having put on a fair bit of weight during the festive period and being a bit on the unfit side i thought i would start off 2011 with a easier walk which was nearer home and not too strenuous.Beinn a M’hanaich fitted the bill (709M),situated a few miles NE of Garelochead.

           The WX was forecasting high pressure with only occassional showers.Tempreture was sitting at minus 4 when i had the dog out around 7.15am.Left the QTH just after 8am and was at the starting point on the A817 well within the hour,after getting kitted up and leaving the car at 09.05am it was a fairly straight forward route up past the MOD warning signs to the first high point which is the strone at 513M,the views are now starting to open up over the Clyde to the South.Continuing heading West towards the summit you have to pass the false peak of Maol an Fheidh before pushing on to Beinn a M’hanaich.Spectacular views in all directions with its sister ridge sitting to the East of Beinn Chaorach and Beinn Tharsuinn,glorious views down the Clyde towards the isle of Arran and all the Argyll hills visible to the North. 

     Arrived on the top at 10.35am,got the beam set up and got a good run of contacts over the next hour and a half.Most contacts came from Ayrshire and Central area with a couple of new ones in Aberfoyle & Stenhousemuir.

South from Beinn a M'hanaich

                                                                                 

Broke the station down at 12.30 as the air was now getting very cold and i was happy with a total of 17 contacts made.

On the return route having only met two other walkers all day i was surprised to meet two soldiers on their way up in full camo gear,i enquired if they were doing a punishment excercise but as it turns out they were actually doing the easier Mhanaich while monitoring several patrols on the adjacent Chaorach ridge,if i had only known they could have carried my rucksack up for me HI.

Home for 14.30 only 2 hours after leaving the summit.

Total distance driven 59.4 miles

Chefs menu of the day was two burn rolls filled with Arran peppered ham,1 melton mowbray pie and a flask of pea & ham soup+1 banana.

Thanks to everyone that called in today and a special mention for the only summit to summit contact with Bobby gm7something who was on Hill of Stake.SS-155.         Until the next time! 73′s         Graeme..