Wednesday 4 February 2026 - Conic Hill

Nine of us set off from near Drymen on a dreich morning. It was a day on the West Highland Way. Unusually, there were very few people about. Mainly dog walkers. 

There was lots of lichen on view, this one being Fishbone Beard Lichen.

Elevenses were taken in the shelter of the forest. Mike adopted his usual position. 

Conic Hill, 361 metres, lay ahead.

It was a good track all the way to the summit.

After leaving the windy summit, the cloud cleared briefly.

The descent was steep, and punctuated by lunch.

Apparently some 250,000 people visit Conic Hill every year. The path has been upgraded to cope with this.

Eventually we reached Loch Lomond, where a pair of Shelduck flew off to avoid us and some of the team lined up for another photo.

It was a pleasant walk along the beach.

The Gorse is coming into bloom. Snowdrops were also in evidence.

We finished with a forest walk to pick up cars that had been left at Cashel Farm.

Here's our route - 14.5km with 410 metres ascent, taking 5 hours.

Later, Sue's Chocolate Truffle Torte went down very well after a good helping of lentil and aubergine moussaka. 

Delicious!