The route starts at Balmaha on the edge of Loch Lomond where you follow the signs for the West Highland Way just at the back of the car park. The route is fairly simple and well signposted with a steady climb through a woodland area and up quite a few wooden steps (you could definately feel these on your knees on the way back down). At this point when you come out of the trees you can see how high you are already and the views of the Loch below begin to emerge.
Continuing up more wooden and bouldery steps the view of the four peaks of Conic Hill unfolds. There are some lovely spots at this point where you can have a sit on the grass, a bite to eat and take in the views of the Loch and the mountains to the North. To get up to the peaks my mum and I followed the West Highland Way around the back of the "obvious path" and found a rough animal track through some heather. We actually didn't realise this was the right track at first as it didn't look as marked out as the rest of the route, but after walking a wee bit along the WHW and realising that we weren't really prepared for that sort of commitment just yet we turned around and ventured up the animal path. I'm really glad we done this as there was noone around and we managed to find a really peaceful spot amongst some mountain flowers to have a picnic.
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| The rough animal track path |
From here we climbed up the first of the peaks. Once at the top we could see the other peaks in front of us and then the beautiful views of Loch Lomond, round to the South and the Campsie Fells and up towards Ben Lomond. We were very lucky to have picked a warm, sunny day and the visability was amazing with blue skies peppered with fluffy clouds all around. From this peak we ran down and then back up the next one. This was my personal favourite part of the walk as it gave you a break from climbing and rewarded you with some more stunning views. Again, we ran down this and up to the next 2 peaks. By this point we were feeling confident so decided to take the more "interesting" and adventurous route down- the stony edge of the last peak. I'll be honest, we ended up doing this on our bums as it was a bit steep and rocky; pebbles were tumbling down with each step we took! Although I think the more brave out there could have managed it more elegantly... we'll get there! We then followed the same path back down to the car park and enjoyed the last panoramic of the Loch. Apart from the rocky "cliff" the walk was very steady and although steep and a bit tiring at some bits I think all abillities would manage this happily! There were a lot of people when we went including families with children and dogs, large tourist groups, professional walkers with sticks and men in kilts. I'd recommend doing this walk on a nice clear day when your boots can properly grip the hill and the views go on for miles. Just remember, if the sun is out always wear sunscreen... even in Scotland!
The facts on climbing Conic Hill:
- Starting point is at the back of Balmaha car park on the East side of Loch Lomond.
- Toilets are 20p in the Balmaha tourist centre in the car park.
- Walk is around 4.5miles/7.5km.
- Takes around 2.5-3hours.
- Difficult points- steep initial climb up the steps and scramble back down from the peak.
- Wear- decent, comfortable shoes (trainers, hill walking boots etc) Kilts welcome
- Perfect for casual walkers, beginners and people who love a view.
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