46-47. Beinn Dubhchraig (175), Ben Oss (101) 19/04/2008

Having driven up after work on friday evening, staying in Carlisle and reaching Crainlarich by 11am on saturday, Jo and I began walking before midday. The weather was quite uncharacteristically gorgeous, so we aimed for a couple of hills that would give us good views. We weren't to be disappointed. Nestled between Ben Laoigh and the Crianlarich Hills, Ben Oss looks down the length of Loch Lomond and has a spectacular view of Ben Laoigh in particular. We could also see the distinctive shape of Ben Nevis from the top - some 40 miles away. A good path climbed up through woodland and then alongside the picture-postcard Allt Coire Dubhcraig, before we were kicking steps in the snow on the final ascent to Beinn Dubhcraig. I've already discussed the view: in short, it was good. After a bit of a drop along the ridge to Ben Oss, we began to climb the much snowier slopes of this hill. The last 100m or so of ascent were a bit of a battle with the wind, with gusts blowing us over into the snow on a few occasions, but we soldiered on. There was some shelter to be had at the top, which was welcome. On the way down, we saved ourselves some time by sliding down the snowy slopes, making the steep bits more fun.

Ben Oss, with Ben Laoigh behind from the top of Beinn Dubhcraig

The splendid Ben Laoigh

Looking back to Beinn Dubhcraig, with the Crianlarich Hills behind