Conic Hill from south of Luss
Loch Lomond from Conic Hill
After the rail-and-road travel of the previous section, today starts with something even less exciting: a wood-pulp plantation. Leave Drymen on the main A811 for a path on the left up into Garadhban Forest.
The forest track contours northwest, through a car park and past various side-tracks. Emerge into a patch of clear-fell, and the official Way’s first view of Loch Lomond lies below the brushwood. Here I met two Germans encamped in what had been, before the trees fell, a clearing: a point marked on Harvey’s strip map as a wild campsite. I was pleased to tell them that, since the Land Reform Act of 2003, the whole of Scotland is a wild campsite. For myself, I continued into the darkness to a comfortable heather bed on the slopes of Conic Hill.
After the gate onto open moorland, the path becomes surprisingly rough, and not even very distinct at first. It tends uphill then bends round left onto the end of Conic Hill.
Small hill side-trip: Conic Hill
Conic is the final leaping-upwards of the Lowlands. It’s a slice of pebbly conglomerate, tipped on edge to form a spiky spine right down to Balmaha. The hill could be (but isn’t) nicknamed as Conic the Hedgehog.
Leave the WH Way as it starts to slant round onto the right-hand slope of the hill, to ascend grassy heather to the summit; or else from the WH Way’s high point, a small path leads back sharp left up to a col and the summit just beyond.
The summit features in the hill list of Marilyns: though only 361m high, it has the required 150m of drop all around it. Most Marilyns have fine views, and Conic’s is a panorama of Loch Lomond. Ahead and below, the hill spine continues as a line of islands across the loch. Conic Hill and its islands are taken as marking the boundary between Lowlands and Highlands. On a clear day, that line can be extended beyond Loch Lomond to the distant Isle of Arran, also split into Lowland and Highland halves.
Descend southwest to the first col. Here the path leads down to the right to rejoin the WH Way; but for the full Conic tonic, continue down the hill spine, enjoying the views and being disconcerted by the bare conglomerate rocks on the steeper descents. The water-smooth cobbles embedded in the rock are of pale quartzite and dark lava. They were washed by flash floods out of a mountain range to the north that no longer exists. The quartzite cobbles are particularly slippery.
After 1km, slant down to the right to rejoin the WH Way, just as it bends back to the left to slant through a grassy col in the spine ridge.
The descent to Balmaha is not the Way’s longest one – that distinction goes to the descent from the Devil’s Staircase to Kinlochleven (see page 94). But it is the second longest, and the steepest, and coming so early on is undoubtedly the toughest. Even those planning all the ambitious big-hill byways for later on may find this downhill section bringing their knees (as it were) to their knees.
After bypassing the summit, the wide WH Way path continues down just to right of Conic’s summit ridge. It is muddy and sometimes on bare conglomerate (or ‘puddingstone’) rock. It passes down leftwards through a grassy col and then into woods. Cross Balmaha car park, whose visitor centre has a sculpture symbolising the Highland Line in just two large stones, one of the Lowland Old Red Sandstone and the other of Highland schist.
From the lane to Balmaha pier, the path climbs over Craigie Fort, a fine viewpoint. And now we’re in the Highlands. Specifically we’re on Loch Lomond side, as rampaged over by Rob Roy Macgregor. But the woodland paths are well laid, the wild wolves extinct. Nothing lurks among the oaks but a sudden glimpse of Loch Lomond; and even the plumpest and most affluent West Highland walker probably won’t be molested by any cattle-reiving bandit. Reiving (Scots): snatching away, thieving, especially of livestock. The victim is ‘bereived’, and may well over the coming winter be dying of hunger.
North of Milarrochy’s shingle bay the way runs sometimes alongside the small tarred road, but mostly just far enough in the woods to be out of earshot. The path rejoins the road for half a mile, to the large car park at Rowardennan Pier.
ROWARDENNAN TO INVERSNAID
Having just spent half a day wandering the wooded shore of Loch Lomond, today will consist of – wandering the wooded shore of Loch Lomond. The shore of Loch Lomond is delightful and it’d be a shame to miss it. On the other hand, perhaps we don’t need quite so much of it as 30km or 20 miles. Especially when Ben Lomond, one of Scotland’s best-loved mountains, looms over the loch.
There are two ways to do Ben Lomond. On good paths, there’s a circuit returning to Rowardennan over the Ptarmigan. Or there’s the wild country option, descending the untrodden north ridge and crossing some rough moorland to pick up a track down to the loch again at Cailness.
WH WAY: ROWARDENNAN TO INVERSNAID
| Distance | 11km (7 miles) |
| Approximate time | 3hr |
| Not the WH Way | 2 Ben Lomond |
| 3 Hill Crossing: Ben Lomond to Inversnaid |
On stormy days – or ones that are merely dreich and damp – the lochside is less demanding. Indeed, the lochside is just great as wind sweeps the branches overhead and waves rattle against the shoreline rocks. From Rowardennan car park follow the shoreline past a granite war memorial in the shape of a stone ring. Just beyond it there are some glacier scratches in the shoreline rocks. Then join the track of the WH Way.
After passing above Ptarmigan Lodge, the WH Way divides. The main route continues along the vehicle track, 50–100m above the loch. The going is easy, but uninteresting; there are occasional views of the water. The little-used alternative path turns down to the lochside, with a solitary waymark post at the bottom. It continues along the shore, and is not easy at all. In fact it allows you to re-enact the lochside journey of September 1716 made by Montrose’s redcoats on their way to raid Rob Roy at Inversnaid. The redcoats did it from Drymen overnight, in a rainstorm; but even by daylight it’s something of a struggle. However, it can be enjoyed by those not trying to cross it quickly.
WH Way path beside Loch Lomond
After 4km the lower path passes Rowchoish bothy, and soon after that rejoins the track above. This track shrinks to a wide, well-made path, and descends to the shoreline at Cailness. Here the high line over Ben Lomond rejoins the WH Way.
The final 3km to Inversnaid is a ramble along the shoreline. The path is well made but not too well made, winding under oak trees and stepping over a boulder. There are glimpses across the loch to the Cobbler and the other Arrochar hills. Even on a dismal wet day there’s shelter under the trees and the sound of waves along the shoreline, not to mention the warm Inversnaid Hotel just ahead. It’s a delightful moment of the Way: and one quite different from the various mountain moments still to come.
2 Rowardennan Outing: Ben Lomond
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Start/finish
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