Ben Lomond

I have climbed Ben Lomond many times...... but not today...... today we were walking up at Ardgartan, and came home along the lochside...... and I liked this view of the Ben. We had a lovely walk, then a nice coffee in the Inverbeg Inn, before heading home.

Ben Lomond (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Laomainn, 'Beacon Mountain'), 974 metres (3,196 ft), is a distinctive mountain. Situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, it is the most southerly of the Munros. Ben Lomond lies within the Ben Lomond National Memorial Park and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, property of the National Trust for Scotland.

Its accessibility from Glasgow and elsewhere in central Scotland, together with the relative ease of ascent from Rowardennan, makes it one of the most popular of all the Munros. On a clear day, it is visible from the higher grounds of Glasgow and eastwards across the low-lying central valley of Scotland; this may have led to it being named 'Beacon Mountain', as with the equally far-seen Lomond Hills in Fife. Ben Lomond summit can also be seen from Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Britain, over 70 miles (110 km) away. The West Highland Way runs along the western base of the mountain, by the loch.

Ben Lomond's popularity in Scotland has resulted in several namesakes in the former British colonies of Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and the United States. The mountain is mentioned directly in the popular folk song The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond.

Ben Lomond has a craggy summit which appears conical when viewed from the nearby Arrochar Alps range. The mountain comprises two parallel south-southeasterly ridges: the Sròn Aonaich ridge to the east and the Ptarmigan ridge to the west.
Ben Lomond's geology is dominated by granite, mica schist, diorite, porphyry and quartzite. Ben Lomond lies on the Scottish watershed, the drainage divide which separates river systems that flow to the east from those that flow to the west.

The weather today was quite magical, lots of sun, although quite cold still...... perfect though for a good walk.