The morning was overcast but the cloud level was just above the tent so I had a view of my descent route. I never like packing up the tent after camping on snow because I can never get all the ice and snow off. Meaning I end up carrying some of it rolled up with the tent. As I started my descent shortly after 8am I could see the farmstead of Comer far below. There was a lot of the intervening ground I couldn’t see because of the gradient. The first part was still half covered in snow and below that the wet ground was very slippery. Eventually I reached the Comer buildings but I couldn’t see anybody about, just a car parked by the barn.

Comer

Along the track was another building which was unoccupied. Looking at the blinds and tidy kitchen inside it looked like a holiday home. Across from the building was a track heading north and this was the way I was heading. The main track was obstructed with a locked gate but by it was a pedestrian gate which wasn’t locked. The track is the only vehicle access to the property of Cailness which I passed on Tuesday and spoke briefly to the occupant who told me I was on private land. The first part of the track was uphill but it was so nice being on firm ground and not ploughing through deep snow that I didn’t mind a bit.

Camp near Lochan Cruachan

I was heading up Gleann Gaoithe which was now totally deserted. On the way I passed a couple of signs of previous occupation on my left. The first was an old stone shepherd’s shelter then further on a ruined croft with only the stone walls remaining. I couldn’t see any fresh vehicle tracks but there were hoof prints along the centre of the track so horses had been along going in the same direction as me. I decided to stay on the track until I reached its highest point then turn right to head up on to the hills. I hadn’t had a mobile signal on my phone for a while and wanted to try and get one to report my position.

View of Ben Lomond from the tent

At the summit I turned off and headed up towards Lochan Cruachan. The sun came out for a while making the walking very hot. When I got to the Loch it was quite dark and not very picturesque. A short way to the west I found a nice spot to pitch the tent with a good view down to Loch Lomond and across to Tarbet and behind I could see Loch Long. Almost due south Ben Lomond was in full view and annoyingly its been clear of cloud for most of the time since I went over in cloud and snow.

View of Loch Lomond from the tent