Ben A'an

Ben A'an in the rain

Clouds seeping in over Loch Katrine

Sometimes the small hills are the best and Ben A'an in the Trossachs is one of these. Gregor and I set off in the afternoon to climb Ben Venue but it was engorged in clouds and then began to rain. We only had soft shells so decided a quick outing on Ben A'an would provide some exercise for the day. Despite being November there were half a dozen vehicles in the car park including minibuses; it is that sort of hill - universally popular. The stiff climb through the forest sets the heart racing and then there is a long flatter section through the forest before the image of a real mountain beckons you further. On a day like today with poor visibility, it loomed out of the cloud like a massive Alpine peak.  On other days it is a gentle summer walk but a perfect hill for children with bridges, places to wet your feet and fall over and a proper rocky summit to clamber about on and make parents anxious.  We dragged our three up here on many occasions as soon as they could walk and in Amy's case when she was six months old on a freezing winter's day.

The steep scramble with some man-made steps begins at the end of the forest and we passed a party of walkers with a guide and then a couple of other groups who were beginning to have second thoughts about the climb as the rain became heavier.  Gregor paced me to the summit in one of those role reversals where parents are made to hurry up by their offspring. There was time for a quick photo before starting the descent.  All the other groups had given up and turned round but a hill runner appeared going strong on the final climb.  We were down well within the hour and home 15 minutes later feeling good from an outing on a hill that always lifts the spirits.