When Saturday dawned dry, we set off for the small village of Balmaha on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. We’ve visited many times and always have lunch in the Oak Tree Inn, which is not necessarily the best idea before climbing the nearby Conic Hill, but we can’t resist.

New to the village is the statue of Tom Weir (1914-2006): climber, writer, broadcaster and campaigner for the Scottish countryside. Naturally, I had my photo taken with him.

Tom Weir statue

Tom Weir statue

Tom Weir statue

This gave our lunch a small amount of time to digest, so we set off up the hill. It’s only 1200 ft / 350 m but quite steep all the way. The path is well-defined though – at the beginning, it starts off as steps – and the views over the Loch open out quickly.

Conic Hill

Conic Hill

The chain of islands you can see here follow the Highland Boundary fault (which also formed Conic Hill): Inchcailloch, Torrinch, Creinch and Inchmurrin. In the other direction, the summit is now visible, though you don’t have to climb that steep lump directly – there’s a (slightly) more gentle path snakes its way round the back.

In search of the best view

Loch Lomond from Conic Hill

Loch Lomond from Conic Hill

Nearly there

Finally, here’s John on the summit itself. When we got back down, we followed part of the West Highland Way as it climbed above the Loch for another good viewpoint, then it was back to Glasgow to rest our weary feet. It’s a mere 40 minute drive to get back to the heart of the city, which is one of the reasons why it’s such a great place to live.

The summit

Loch Lomond at Balmaha

I’m adding this post as a contribution to Jo’s Monday Walks (click the logo for more details). Her latest walk will make you feel much warmer than mine – it’s in Portugal! Check Praia da Rocha for a great beach walk.