I headed through the Trossachs and north to Lochearnhead today, turning along the south shore of Loch Earn to Ardvorlich. It wasn’t until I got out of the car that I realised how windy it was.

There was cloud around the top of Ben Vorlich but I was hopeful that the strong wind would mean I might get a view from the summit.

The walk starts by following Ardvorlich House‘s east driveway for a few hundred metres, before turning south onto a farm track, which began to rise steadily towards Ben Vorlich.

A bit further up I stopped for a break, and looked back at the view, with Loch Earn framed by the sloping sides of Glen Vorlich.

Soon after the path got narrower and steeper as it climbed up onto the ridge of Sgiath nam Tarmachan, and the wind got considerably stronger. I looked back along the ridge to the loch below before pressing on towards the main slopes of Ben Vorlich itself.

I was really fighting against the wind now, it must have been 60 or 70 mph. But the summit was clear of cloud so that gave me the motivation to press on.

As I reached the start of the last climb, the wind was screaming over the bealach and bringing icy clouds with it, so I dropped down over the edge to have my lunch, and to wait for the worst of the wind to pass. Unfortunately it didn’t, and just got stronger and stronger, so I struggled up to the summit keeping as low as possible, then came straight back down again! The cloud had come in thick now so there was no view to speak of.

I retraced my steps back down Sgiath nam Tarmachan and out of the worst of the wind. The sun was starting to go down now, and by the time I got back to the car there was a pink glow cast over Loch Earn.