Beinn an Lochain

My original plan was to head North and grab a couple of Munros but at 0445 I was wakened by a rather worried woman - she would prefer I did something more local and as SWMBO, I accepted and went back to sleep. At 0800, I rolled out of a surprisingly snowy Glasgow and made for Beinn an Lochain. I had heard much about this hill and it always looked very dramatic from the Rest and be Thankful. In fact, I had climbed Stob Coire Creagach a few weeks back to see what it looked like from the North - very dramatic. Rather than parking right opposite the starting point, I parked about 400m further South in a layby and began the walk. It was cold but beautiful. My sense of anticipation for this trip was strong and I was really looking forward to one of THOSE days where I knew conditions were perfect. The great thing about this hill is that the views all round are fantastic, it's quite steep and offers a quick ascent. Furthermore, I love craggy peaks and this one was superb. It's all very benign up to about 600m but you can make out the summit peak at the end of the hill. Coupled with views over to the Cobbler, Beinn Ime and tranquil Loch Restil down below, could there be a better peak in Arrochar? I love the Cobbler but I love Beinn an Lochain, so which is better? Only one way....At 600m, you begin to make acquaintance with the North face and it is possible to pick out some lines, if you're into rock-climbing. As the sun blasted the Eastern slopes, the oppressively dark cliffs on the North face loomed and as I got higher, the track got narrower and more exposed. Nothing too serious but care was needed especially as much of the path was frozen in places. From below, it looks horrific but a good path wends its way higher and higher. The final push was fantastic and not that exposed but it still offered an exciting end to a great wee mountain. For such a super hill, I was slightly surprised at how small the cairn was but the views from the top were breath-taking. As I sat and drank in my water and the vistas, I felt at peace. Until this old codger scared the living shecht out of me by shouting "morning!" He had come up the other side of the face and was double ice-axed up. He must have been near 70 and rather than offer an apology to my sweary exclamation, he just laughed. Aye, I would have done the same, I thought! I proffered my good wishes and began my descent off the South summit, down through the crags. It wasn't long before I hit the road and began the trek back to the car. This fantastic mountain deserves a great day of weather and having done it in Winter, I would wholeheartedly recommend this. Brilliant.