Ben Vorlich 2

A return with one of my brothers.

Brendan near the summit of Ben Vorlich

Mildly enthused by my WhatsApp images, the oldest of my younger brothers was up for a Hillwalk on my next excursion. It's rare we have a day off together without commitments but a little over 2 weeks since my 1st visit, I was back at Ardvorlich for ascent 2 of Ben Vorlich.

Time was pretty tight so rather than tackle a new and unknown summit, I decided to head back to Ben Vorlich as I knew the terrain and times. Besides, it had been a foggy summit on my last visit.

As with the first visit, the summit of Stuc a'Chroin was not tackled. Described as a much trickier ascent, involving a scramble it is reached via the summit of Ben Vorlich.

A Right 'Guid' Catch Up

The Brothers and I are pretty close and have probably grown closer as we have gotten older but this was probably the longest I have spent Brendan on our own since we shared a room as kids (and that didn't involve alcohol). We had some serious chat, some great laughs (Brendan reenacting Lord of the Rings sketches for the most part) and even enjoyed some quiet moments in each others company, most noticeably over a spot of lunch and tea on a very windswept summit.

The chat made the walk relatively straightforward with the snow receding higher up there was only one short stretch that required a bit of care. I quietly congratulated myself for stopping less and generally being less knackered than on my solo visit only a few weeks before.

I was going along with all the banter but yet again, the Hills had left me in a reflective mood. I promised myself this would not be the last time I hit the Hills with my brothers. It really is quality time and puts day to day trials and tribulations into perspective.

It also left me looking for the answer as to whether I preferred solo or company walking - I guess it depends on the company (or my mood) but on this occasion it was a cracking day out.