Ben Vorlich from Lochearnhead

We were on holiday in Stirling in August 2021, partly to check it out as a possible retirement location. For me, this meant trying out public transport options for getting to the hills, so one obvious example was the bus to Lochearnhead to climb Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin. Having got the earliest bus to Lochearnhead, I set off towards Glen Ample at about 20 past 9 in beautiful sunshine.

Walking from Lochearnhead adds quite a bit of distance to the route, so I had chosen to go up Glen Ample instead of Glen Vorlich, the usual route taken if you can drive to the start.

Apparently the Glen Ample route is nicer than the Glen Vorlich route, although since it was over 40 years since I had been on the latter (if I ever had) I had no idea if this was true or not.

In any case, Glen Ample is certainly very pleasant, and was especially so today on this sunny morning.

The track crosses the burn and winds up to Glenample Farm, but there are signs warning you not to follow this but to continue along by the burn for another 500m on a footpath then strike up through the woods from there. I ignored the signs but half way up the track I was turned back by the good lady of the property who obviously thought I was illiterate. Another kilometre added to the route... sigh.

As I climbed up the track views were opening up down the glen, but it was also clouding over a bit by now. It was now about quarter to 11.

The track provides an easy route up for most of the way, after which you simply head for the Bealach an Dubh Choirein between Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin.

By this time unfortunately, the summits were hidden in the cloud.

From the Bealach an Dubh Choirein, the cloud still low

I turned left to head up the ridge towards Ben Vorlich, with the cloud coming and going around me.

Finally I reached the summit at about half past 12, 3 hours and 10 minutes from Lochearnhead. I could just about see down into Glen Vorlich and over Loch Earn.

I now began to meet other walkers, having seen none in Glen Ample or on the way up. If you like to have the hill to yourself, obviously this is another reason to choose Glen Ample for the approach.

I now had to decide whether I was going to take in Stuc a’Chroin as well. I had intended to, but it looked rather far away and my legs were not really feeling up to the rather intimidating ascent. I decided to return to the bealach and make a decision there.

Looking back up at the ridge

The view down the corrie into Glen Ample

Once back at the Bealach an Dubh Choirein, Stuc a’Chroin looked even more off-putting and I decided that, pretty sure I had already climbed it all those years ago, there was no need to put myself to all that trouble. I would take it easy and wander back down to Lochearnhead at a leisurely pace.

The path back down into Glen Ample

Stuc a’Chroin seen from further down

The only problem with this plan was that I arrived back at Lochearnhead far too early for the bus and had to wait for about two hours. By this time it was drizzling and although there was a bus shelter it was very small and there were two other people waiting there for a similar length of time. Well, at least there was someone to talk to. They were also walkers - they had walked there from Callander along the west shore of Loch Lubnaig and were getting the bus back to the start point. It was fortunate they were there as the bus wasn't taking card payments and I hadn't enough cash on me, so they paid my fare and I got cash out of a machine at Callander (where I had to change buses anyway).