Beinn Dubh (Mid Hill)

9 February 2010.

Participants - Just me
Where - Beinn Dubh (Mid Hill), 657m/2155', Graham, Map 56, NS 322964

One of the advantages of being retired is that when a good weather day comes along I can go hill walking. Previously I would sit in the office on a lovely day wishing that I was out on the hills and then when the weekend came it would be acompanied by rain and low cloud and I either didn't go walking or plodded through poor conditions to another no view summit. Well not always but often enough..........

Beinn Dubh, (Black Hill) is a Graham in the Luss hills to the west of Loch Lomond. This is a photo of it that I took the following day when I was out again. I started from the car park at Luss village (free at this time of year), crossed the main road by a footbridge and took to the hill when immediately past the houses. There is a good path heading up and it wasn't long till I was getting the views. This is of Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond from quite near the start.....

Inactivity over the past weeks had led to a lack of fitness and it was a bit of a case of head down and plod on until I reached the top of Beinn Dubh- there were a few false tops on the way which is always a bit disheartening. But it was worth it when the slope eventually levelled out. This is the view of the Arrochar Alps from the top of Beinn Dubh.....

I continued the walk by following the fence and then crossing a short area of peat hags before climbing again to the highest point on Mid Hill and an even better view of the Arrochar hills. Approaching Mid Hill.....

The Arrochar Alps from the approach to Mid Hill.....

There are two cairns a couple of hundred yards apart on Mid Hill. I was not sure which was the highest- each looked higher from the other- but it didn't matter as I was following the ridge anyway. There was little wind and the sun was shining so I found a boulder to lean against and laze about for 10 minutes just taking it all in. This is at one of the cairns with another of the Luss Marilyns, Doune Hill, in the background.....

And this is looking towards Beinn Chaorach and Beinn Each, two more Luss Marilyns.....

I didn't linger too long as days are short at the beginning of February and there was still some way to go. The great advantage of Beinn Dubh is that you can complete a fine circular route by continuing down the south-west ridge to meet the head of the minor road in Glen Luss and then wander the remaining two miles along this quiet glen back to the car. The descent off the hill provides another fine view of Loch Lomond.....

This fine circular walk is c.7 miles, 670m of ascent and it took me just under 5 hours.

To end this account, here is another view of Beinn Dubh taken from the east side of Loch Lomond......