It was another return to Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn) under winter conditions. Leaving the car at 4a.m. armed with axe and crampons I quietly tip toed past Ardvorlich House, they wouldn’t hear me but it just feels polite at that time of the morning. It’s pretty much up hill from the start getting steeper and steeper as you go, just take a deep breath and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
For the first part of the climb I was following the beam of my head torch in the dark, it wasn’t until around half way up there was enough light to dispense with it and go by the ambient light, it was the blue hour and time to make haste. A little slippy in places and before long the soft snow gave way to firmer going, time to deploy the crampons for safety. I made it to the summit with a couple of breather breaks along the way without any drama and with time to spare. But with a hazy atmosphere there was to be no alpenglow that I’d hoped for.
A hazy sunrise
Down jacket on, it was around -6℃ but the gentle breeze cut through like a hot knife through butter, relief once on and some heat started to build up.
With the the sun higher in the sky more light began to make its way through and more compositions began to make themselves known but not before just managing to capture the moon setting over the distant hills.
Moonset
The Lawers group
Ben More with a little inversion in the glen
Stuc a’ Chroin in the early sun
A chilly photographer armed with winter mountain safety tools
With the sun higher in the sky it was time for a breakfast of hot coffee and croissants and to drink in the glorious views on this winters day. Mind you there wasn’t too much hanging around with that chilly breeze.
All too soon it was time to pack up and head down before the normal people started to arrive, i.e. those that don’t get up at silly o’clock in the morning to be on a summit for sunrise. Sure enough a third of the way down I met the first couple, wearing trail running shoes, ouch; people seem to forget that it may be warm and sunny down below, but high up on the mountain winter is still in charge.
I stopped off on the descent to capture a few more images to complete the story of the day.
A tumbling Ardvorlich Burn
Snow of a different kind
Ben Vorlich from the side of Loch Earn
I love returning to previous locations numerous times, like visiting an old friend and catching up, I couldn’t resist stopping off to capture this magnificent moment of a glorious Ben Vorlich in the early afternoon sun by a calm Loch Earn. Hard to believe a few hours before I’d been standing on that summit, bye for now old friend and thank you for a great day out…