Ben Ledi 25th May 2010 - An office trip out

For a while now there has been discussion around the office about getting out for a walk in the hills straight after work. Ross took the initiative and suggested a date, time and hill to walk. Ben Ledi was chosen. Ross had only been up it in the winter, Crispin hadn't been up it all and I went up last Autumn.

So a 5pm dart from the office was decided with no faffing. We got away by about 5:15! But, following a short stop off in Doune to pick up Crispin's boots we were kitted up and ready to walk by 6:05, so not too bad.

The initial part of the walk is up a steep path through the forest. Having done this last Autumn I knew what was coming and sure enough I was soon breathing hard and wishing Crispin would slow down a little. Once out of the forest and onto the shoulder of Ben Ledi we were fortunate to have a fabulous clear evening. We soon got good views north to Loch Lubnaig, Glen Ample and Beinn Each.

Progressing along the shoulder the walking became easier and the views better. At the point where the route turns from heading south to north west we were greeted with fabulous vistas to the south and across to the west. The guys pointed out various peaks, including those on Arran in the distance.

Ross was tracking the walk using the GPS on the blackberry. I had my old Garmin tracking the route and giving us the altitude. Comparing the altitudes given on both there was about a 40m difference between the two. Once at the top the Garmin was about 1m off the spot height for the trig point.

We reached the summit after about 1hour 40mins. More stunning views at the top in all directions. Ben More was exceptionally clear and the views beyond into the far distance gave some debate as to which ranges we could see. Waiting to see some of the arty shots that Ross will have taken, the light was pretty good so I'm sure there'll be some good un's.

We headed down from the summit following the path to the north, heading for Stank Glen. The descent was extremely steep, certainly preferable heading down it rather than going the other way. Ross was pointing out various birds he spotted en route. On the forestry path a small bird with pink feathers was spotted. Not sure what is was at the time, but I think it may have been a Whinchat.

The return route wound it's way down the hillside, through the forest again until we reached the end of Loch Lubnaig, with the final stretch along a tarmac road back to the carpark, just before 9:30. All in all this was a top notch way to spend an evening after work - a good straight forward walk, with excellent clear conditions, fabulous views and good company along the way. Will certainly plan to do another after work trip out. Maybe the Ochills next?

Walk time (including photo & food stops): 3:19

Walk distance: 8.44km

Total Ascent (if you believe the Garmin): 1168m

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