THE COBBLER
Last Sunday was my latest walk with the Sunday Brunch Club and this time we had a new member, my friend and colleague Gordon :-) He has recently completed the Caledonian Challenge and loves to get out and about on the hills. I warned him that I wouldn't be able to keep up with his pace but he would be very welcome to come with us. That's one of the great things about this hill walking group - everyone is free to walk at their own pace without having to slow down or speed up for other people, it works really well! As long as we all stay in eye-shot and congregate at the summit of our intended peaks we can all enjoy the walk as we find most comfortable. Naturally some people find going uphill easier whereas others find the descent easier and so there is also ample opportunity to speak to different people at different points on the walk. I would be nervous going out into the hills myself for fear of getting lost or having an accident so I feel fortunate to have found such a great group with common interests!
Our planned walk for the day was The Cobbler, at the head of Loch Long over in the West. The Cobbler, or to use it's correct name, Ben Arthur, is just short of a Munro at 2900 ft but due to it's distinctive skyline, clear pathways and breathtaking views it is one of the most popular hill walks in Scotland. Ben Arthur is one of a group of mountains known collectively as the Arrochar Alps and is commonly known as The Cobbler as the rocky summit features somewhat resemble a cobbler bending over a shoe. The abundance of large rocky surfaces also makes The Cobbler very popular with rock climbers and in-fact we say a couple of lads doing just that!
As usual our group met outside the Dome here in Edinburgh at 9am and the great weather encouraged a few more walkers than Ben Vorlich, 17 this time. We all piled into cars and this time it was my turn to drive, Gordon, Paula and Karen all opted to come with me and we reached the village of Succoth just after 11, having to stop for fuel en-route. Geared up we were on our way up the mountain by 11:40, following a purpose-built pathway and zig-zagging through an area of forestry and up the hillside. This gave us a more gentle ascent but I still felt the heat tremendously as it was mid 20s already by this time and the ferns and bracken amongst the trees seem to hold the heat! The path then followed a lovely burn, passing the Narnain boulders and becoming steeper. I was ever so grateful for my platypus as it carries 2 litres of water and with barely a cloud in sight the heat was making me thirsty! I was also pleased with myself for taking my baseball cap as it was a great sun protector, being Scottish I am not built for the heat and too much sun, often results in a headache! Anyway, the views were stunning on the walk up and I really enjoyed being out of the city. I predominantly walked with Paula and we enjoyed great chat and each other's company as we plodded on. Stopping at times of course for the odd wine gum (energy boasting qualities ;-)) or to reapply the sun-cream!
The 2 or 3 hundred feet to the lowest part of the summit ridge became a rocky scramble, with immense rocks all around us. It was easier at this point to do away with our poles and use our hands to pull ourselves up large slabs of rock that could only be described as lethal in wet weather! We finally reached the summit ridge and followed one of the many tracks to the top of the Cobbler's head. The panorama was stunning, over mountains and lochs, going as far as the Atlantic and beyond! A perfect place for lunch and a well-earned cup of tea, thanks Gordon (Gogs)!
The view to the west is dominated by the outline of the centre peak a rocky outcrop of which the top marks the true summit of this fabulous mountain. Only some of our group were daring enough to attain this true summit as a very good head for heights is needed and as I found long legs would help to! To climb to the top one has to crawl through a hole (known as the needle) in the rock formation and clamber out onto a ledge, only 1m wide with a vertigo inspiring 150ft drop on the other side. This ledge is inclined and a definite scrambling ability is necessary to negotiate it and eventually get to the top! This is frequently referred to by climbers as "threading the needle" or "tackling the eye". Disappointingly, despite my best efforts I didn't make it, I 'tackled the eye' ok by passing the hole onto the ledge but couldn't manage to pull myself up the last stop onto the true summit, short tired legs coupled with the sheer drop was too much of an obstacle! Karen and Gordon made it though, along with a few others of our group and Gogs impressed us all by standing upright with arms outstretched! Naturally a perfect photo opportunity for his fb profile pic ;-)
After lunch we made our descent, re-tracing our steps in the increasing heat of the afternoon sun. Descending the rocky features of the Cobbler was even more difficult than going up and everyone could feel it in their knees but slowly but surely we made it back to the original track and followed the burn back down to the forestry and eventually to the carpark. After a 6-hour walk in the heat it was unanimous that we should head to the pub to celebrate, so to the village inn it was. Non-alcoholic drinks for the drivers of course! We enjoyed sitting out in the beer garden for about an hour but soon the realisation hit us all that it was a two hour drive home and we all had work in the morning so we said our goodbyes to the Arrochar Alps, pleased with what we had achieved and made for home.
Sx
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