Goat Fell is the highest peak on the Isle of Arran. Despite this impressive claim to fame, it’s actually a “corbett“. This doesn’t mean that it’s somehow connected with Sooty & Sweep, it’s just that it falls 144 ft short of the magical 3000 required to join the munro club. To get to it you’ve got to use the ferry, so at about 6.20 on Thursday morning, our little car was in the queue to board the first ferry of the day from Ardrossan on the Scottish mainland to Brodick on Arran.

This was our first time on a ferry with dogs, and whatever the website recommended, there was no way were going to leave them stuck below decks in the car. As soon as we’d parked up, the four of us got out and headed upwards to the outdoor seating areas. Both Beanie and Biggles were a little overawed by the unfamiliar sights, smells and sounds of the ferry, and the stairs between the decks were a little too steep for Biggles so I had to carry him, but once we got up top they were both much happier. There were still a few sightings of the raised Paw Of Uncertainty for a while..

..but that disappeared once we’d taken them on a sniffing tour of the deck, to be replaced by an overwhelming desire to be nosy. The makers of the ship had clearly anticipated this as every gap in the railings was exactly the right width to allow a Beagle head through.

The ferry was very quiet so early in the morning, and though haze restricted visibility it was still a very scenic voyage.

In under an hour we were back in the car and driving into Brodick. Our path up Goat Fell was set to start in Brodick Country park which apparently wouldn’t open until a little later, so we took a stroll by the sea front to kill time.

Our ferry – already preparing to depart back to the mainland

Goat Fell viewed from the sea front in Brodick. It doesn’t look so bad…

A plaque marks the tragically short life of a young man named after the island

We got into the country park around 9.30 and parked up at the visitor center, which is closed on Thursdays at this time of year. No matter; we loaded up with water bottles and treats, and set off on the clearly marked trail to Goat Fell. It was already hot, and we soon started to have misgivings about doing the climb on such a sunny day. Still, the first part of the trail was shaded by forest so we decided to press on and re-assess when we hit the exposed part of the ascent. When we emerged from the trees it was really hot, but there were plenty of fresh running streams to keep Beanie & Biggles cool so we continued on a little further.  The going was really very easy,  and eventually we approached the ridge that marked the final ascent to the top. There were no more streams past this point, but there was a constant cooling breeze. It didn’t look like there was far to go; I figured maybe another hour of walking would get us to the top, and it was now pleasantly cool (though still bright and sunny) so we decided to keep going. The walk to join the ridge took a lot longer than I expected, and as it turned out that set the pattern for the rest of the climb. Whenever we looked up towards the summit it didn’t seem that far, but every time we estimated how long we’d take to reach a certain point, we were way off. The path was mostly obvious and in a good state of repair and there no scrambles, but we were constantly weaving around huge boulders and this slowed us down considerably. In fact there were so many boulders around, a certain episode of the original series of Star Trek kept popping into my head. I was half expecting to get attacked by a bloke in an outrageously unconvincing lizard suit. If only I could find a large bamboo-like tube, some sulphur, coal, diamonds..

On the final section now, not long to go…

One more steep climb, not long to go…

Surely this is the final bit ???

OK, this really is the last bit though, right?

The view over my shoulder’s already shaping up nicely though..

Eventually we made it to summit, and I sat down for a breather while Beanie & Biggles conducted as thorough a sniffing as their canicross leads would allow. At one point they chose to sniff in opposite directions and when they tried to swap they found that there was only enough room for a single Beagle to pass at a time.  Instead of using their brains, they just stood there pushing at each other desperately until eventually Beanie climbed onto Biggles’ head and walked along his back to the other side. I still think Beagles are smart dogs, but clearly they have an issue with narrow openings.

Anyway, time for some pics of the extremely rugged scenery at the top:

OK so we’re up a mountain, but it’s still OK to be nosy

This diagram on the summit shows you what you can see in every direction

And it makes a great platform for a self-timer piccie!

We were dreading the walk back down. The final ascent had been pretty steep and it looked even worse from the top, but in practice it was about the easiest descent we’ve had to date. However, just like the walk up, it took a surprisingly long time to get back to the car. To sum up, Goat Fell is at the same time rather easier, but a lot longer, than it first appears, but well worth the effort.

Once back in Brodick center we had time for fish & chips, ice creams and a nap before the return ferry. Going back over the walk, one thing that stuck in my mind (besides the unseen danger of a guy in a lizard suit) was how well behaved our two Beaglets had been. We’d had a few baying outbursts, but they’d been very short-lived. Part of this is no doubt due to the complete absence of sheep around Goat Fell (no goats either, come to think of it), but I do think our two – Biggles in particular – are getting better at self control.

Last weekend we went North, this weekend we went in the opposite direction; south to Keswick in the Lake District. It’s a fair drive (approaching the 3hr mark) but well worth it. It’s kind of strange to think that on our last visit we only had Beanie – we’ve just got so used to having two dogs now!

The weather reports had promised a moderate, cloudy day with occasional bursts of sun, and on that basis we’d planned to do Skiddaw & Glenderaterra Beck from Underscar – a long climb. Our plans were scuppered by the time we arrived in Keswick though;  it was boiling hot with unrelenting sunshine – in a word, “Scorchio“. Summer had apparently arrived, but it was not a day to be going on a long uphill hike. We needed a backup plan, so Susan nipped into an outdoor sports shop to get a book of local walks while I stayed outside with Beanie & Biggles. I was there barely a minute when one of the shop staff came out to get a quick Beagle cuddle and to inform me that the two Bs would be perfectly welcome inside the shop. That’s something I’d forgotten about the Lake District – it’s phenomenally dog friendly.

Dogs are welcome in most pubs and shops and there are bowls of fresh drinking water out all over the town. On this occasion however  I declined the offer to go inside, fearing that they might have a “if you chew it, you buy it” policy. Shortly thereafter Susan emerged with a fantastic little book of walks (“15 Walks From Keswick” by Paul Buttle) and after a quick flick through the options we decided to go up a local fell called Latrigg.

It was a good choice. It had enough height to give us some beautiful views of the nearby peaks and lakes, enough shade & streams to keep our doggies (Biggles especially) from overheating, and sufficient length to justify a pub lunch afterwards.

The view from the top

Even the return trail was picturesque

The only downside to the walk was that it took us through quite a few sheep. We’ve been working on Beanie & Biggles’ self control lately and for the most part they didn’t react overly to all those unshaven lamb chops on legs. Naturally we still had a couple of short baying outbursts though. If these had been prompted by regular sheep I might have been disappointed in our Beagles’ performance, but as it turned out they were all caused by highly trained undercover sheep. These woolly provocateurs lurk behind trees and around blind corners ready to surprise unwary hounds, setting them on the rocky road to SmackedBottomsVille. The local government naturally denies all knowledge of these bah-bah-black-ops sheep, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

After the walk we had a chill out session in a park, followed by a gentle stroll around the shops. One shop in particular merited closer inspection:

Yes the wallet came out and we now have another couple of expensive toys that Beanie & Biggles will readily discard in favor of a lowly bog roll. Regardless, with the shopping over we headed toward the lakeside for a relaxing boat ride. Beanie’s already been a boat, but this was Biggles’ first time. Sadly as we boarded the captain cautioned us that while dogs were allowed, they had to stay on the floor – no climbing onto laps or seats to get a better view of the journey. It seems that even in the Lake District those with ginger ears and waggy tails can still be treated as second class citizens. Our two didn’t take this lying down though.. at least not for the whole journey. Biggles poked his head up occasionally to catch a glimpse of the ride, and Beanie left a small protest pee under one of the seats.

To finish the day we had a meal in Keswick Lodge –  one of the better dog friendly pubs. Biggles was the model of good behavior, settling down for a nap almost instantly, while Beanie lay in wait for the dishes to arrive then nicked a chunk of Susan’s fish just as it was being served.

The day was almost over. We drove part of the way back home then stopped off at Gretna, where we’d booked a night at the dog friendly Days Inn. Biggles quickly made himself at home and demolished his chew. Beanie delayed her chew a little, preferring to make the room hers in her own special way.

A number of hill walking websites list Ben Vorlich as one of the easier Munros in that it has a clear, well trodden path right up to the summit and doesn’t have any scrambling sections. That doesn’t mean it’s without challenges, just that you don’t need any particular climbing/orienteering skills or gear to get up there.

For us, the first challenge was getting reliable instructions on where to park and how to access the route up. It doesn’t help that there are in fact two Ben Vorlichs; one by Loch Lomond, and one by Loch Earn. We were interested in the latter, and after much googling I came across this site:

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/ben-vorlich.shtml

It has precise satnav coordinates to one of the very few parking spots, a layby near to Ardvorlich House:

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/directions.php?w=51

This is a big help because the loch-side road is very narrow with few passing opportunities – not a good place to be driving back & forth hunting for a parking space. Once you’ve parked up, you get a nice view of Loch Earn, and a first proper look at your opponent..

Ben Vorlich – it’s the far off peak in the middle

To get to the trail, you enter the Ardvorlich estate and follow the signposts. Soon after that you hit the next challenge, or at least you do if you’ve got two Beagles and one of them has a farty bottom and a name that rhymes with “Tribbles”. Yep, you guessed it – the first part of the walk is packed with sheep, loads & loads of ’em. Somehow we got the Bigglet and his sister through the woolly gauntlet without too much baying, and soon we were on our way up to the summit of Ben Vorlich.

One of the reviews of the walk describes it as “unrelenting”. That’s not quite fair; the way I see it, there are three sections. There’s a mild, meandering introductory bit, then a steeper second section that gets you to a grassy plateau. This a great place for a breather and a chance to take in the already impressive views.

Then there’s the third and final section which is I have to say absolutely merciless. It just keeps on hammering your legs all the way up. As advertised there’s no scrambling, but the incline just doesn’t let up, and by the time you hit the top you could cook an egg on your quads.

When you get to the top you see an obelisk thingummy which is apparently a “trig point”, but it’s not the true summit – that’s some yards further on and is marked by a cairn (pile of stones). In fact it’s marked by two stone piles.

Two for the price of one

Come to think of it, everything about Ben Vorlich is doubled up. There are two Ben Vorlichs, and the Loch Earn one has two summits and two cairns. Maybe it’s Munro two-for-one month. Either way, even with the somewhat cloudy weather we got, Ben Vorlich has the best mountain views I’ve ever seen.

Here are a few panoramas from the summit. I’m quite pleased with how they turned out, but they still don’t do it justice. Click to see larger versions.

And a few more piccies:

Yep, it’s high enough to still have snow!

Of course if you’re a Beagle views count for nothing – it’s all about the snacks. After setting a personal best for speed-eating their favorite fish treats, they graciously helped us with our sausage rolls.

In fact Beanie nearly gave me a whole lot more help than I needed:

We hung about on the summit a bit longer, then eventually gathered up enough courage to head back down. If you’re not doing the longer version of the walk which takes you on to neighboring peak Stuc a’Chroin, then the only way down is back the way you came. If that steep third section looked daunting on the way up, it looked positively scary on the way down, and almost the second we got moving our beaglets decided that now would be a good time for a baying frenzy. The noise is bad enough, but it’s the pulling that accompanies the baying that really gets to you. And being beagles, they don’t pull consistently. One minute they’re lunging forward upsetting your balance, then abruptly they stop causing you to stumble as you desperately try to avoid standing on ’em. Not at all what you want when you’re trying to negotiate a steep gradient, and a very poor way to show gratitude for getting to nibble on your sausage roll!

The one good thing about the bayfest was that it caused Beanie to do her first proper fart. I’m not talking about the silent but deadly Biggle-bum emissions that are so meaty you could carve ’em up, put ’em between two slices of bread and call ’em a sandwich. Nope, I’m talking about a one-note recital on the world’s oldest wind instrument. As the old Yorkshire saying puts it, “It’s a poor arse that never rejoices”, and Beanie’s botty certainly made merry today.

With all the baying and pulling it took us a long, long time to get back to the car and when we did, we were absolutely knackered. We loaded Beanie & Biggles into their crates then collapsed into our seats. It took a good few minutes for me to summon up the energy to fire up the engine and head back home, and when I did Beanie actually made a grumbling noise as if to say “Hey! Keep the noise down, I’m trying to get some sleep here”. The nerve of it! But I suppose that’s Beagles for you; contrary, stubborn, relentlessly naughty *and* hypocritical. I still love the little buggers though.

The full set of shots from the Ben Vorlich walk is here.