We decided on Ben Vorlich and Stuc a'Chroin as they were on the way home, just as we had done Ben Vane previously. No problem at Advorlich in finding where to park, there were plenty of cars there. The start is through a pleasant private park and the way up to Ben Vorlich is clear. The pathway can be seen winding up all the way, with a line of people climbing it. Not surprising as it was a lovely day and a bank holiday to boot. The walk up is simple, getting steeper all the time as you climb but never difficult. In fact we got talking to a couple just below the summit and we all agreed this was the easiest hill climb since Ben Lomond. To prove the point a crowd of ten year old schoolkids came tumbling down the mountain doing their own thing with precious little supervision. One slipped and rolled but nobody cared. The last couple of hundred feet were a wee bit rockier but the summit is easily reached. I suppose the most difficult part of the climb is deciding whether the summit is the cairn or the trig point. We selected the trig point for photos and Guinness.
The path down from Ben Vorlich is much steeper and rockier than on the tourist side but straightforward. Even in mist there would be no difficulty as there are railing posts to guide. It was the way ahead that concerned me more as the climb to Stuc a'Chroin is reportedly awkward, with scrambling. The books all say that the bypass path is about 30 metres to the right but we could not find it - nor could another couple ahead of us. The only path seemed to be the one directly ahead and I wonder if over the years the path from Ben Vorlich to the bypass path has become so worn that the scramble route has become obscure. I don't know. All I do know is that the path we took was not easy. Once it went through a steep snow patch it got very steep and awkward. After only a short way it disappeared even though Graeme was insisting all was ok. The other couple had attempted to scramble up but were just about ready to give in and go down. The chap asked if the young lad was with me, said Graeme had tried the rock to the right but then moved to the left instead. The rock to the right looked better to me so I scrambled up it onto a mossy tuft. A little bit apprehensive as grip was not too good but I soon got hold of other rock. At this point Graeme appeared up above to tell me that the path started again about ten feet higher. Once I reached the path I noticed that the other couple had also managed to get up - I think they took Graeme's route. From then on the path stayed but was always steep and frequently required hands, particularly near the top where a gully had to be climbed.
At the top the route became very easy and the summit soon reached. We decided not to go down the steep buttress on the way back but moved over to the col in order to traverse over to another ridge of Ben Vorlich and avoid its summit. We noticed that the others were doing the same. Probably only nutters would go back down the buttress. Then over the next col into the valley of Ben Vorlich. A long trek through heather and peat bog took us back to the Ben Vorlich path.
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