Ben Vane
Encyclopedia
Ben Vane is a Scottish
mountain
situated in the southern Highlands
. The underlying geology almost entirely comprises the Beinn Bheula
Schist
Formation - Psammite
and Pelite
with a Siluro-Devonian Dyke
prominent round the northern and eastern face. It is one of the Arrochar Alps
and stands slightly separate from the other mountains of the group being connected on its western side to the neighbouring Beinn Ìme
by a low col at 492 metres. Ben Vane itself just qualifies as a Munro
reaching a height of 915 metres (3002 feet) and is characterised by steep and rugged slopes which fall away to the Inveruglas Water to the east and the Allt Coiregroigan to the south; to the north the descent is more undulating going over the subsidiary top of Beinn Dubh before falling to the valley at the north end of Loch Sloy. Dense forestry cloak the mountain on its lower southern slope in Allt Coiregroigan. Also on these southern slopes by the Allt Coiregroigan is a disused quarry which provided crushed stone used for the construction of the Loch Sloy dam in the late 1940s. The dam wall lies two km to the north of the quarry and a conveyor belt was constructed to carry the crushed stone over the lower slopes of Ben Vane to the batching plant
beside the dam.
The direct route up the mountain starts from the car park at grid reference opposite the Loch Sloy power station on the banks of Loch Lomond
and follows the private tarmac road by the Inveruglas Water up to the Loch Sloy hydro
dam
for two kilometres before striking steeply up the mountain's eastern ridge. Initially there is some boggy ground and some crags to avoid higher up but the top is easily reached after a few false summits on the way. Ben Vane can also be climbed in conjunction with some of the other Arrochar Alps especially Beinn Ìme and Beinn Narnain
.
The summit of the mountain is a small plateau crowned by a cairn. The highlights of the view from the top of Ben Vane are Ben Vorlich
and Loch Sloy to the north east and the rest of the Arrochar Alps to the south west, A' Chrois looks especially fine across the deep valley of Allt Coiregrogain. The vista to Lochs Arklet and Katrine
to the east is very good.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
situated in the southern Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. The underlying geology almost entirely comprises the Beinn Bheula
Beinn Bheula
Beinn Bheula is a mountain located between Loch Goil and Loch Eck. It is part of the Arrochar Alps range. Beinn Bheula appears rugged from Lochgoilhead, with several summits, the highest of which is Caisteal Dubh ....
Schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
Formation - Psammite
Psammite
Psammite is a general term for sandstone. It is equivalent to the Latin-derived term arenite. Also, it is commonly used in various publications to describe a metamorphosed sedimentary rock with a dominantly sandstone protolith. In Europe, this term was formerly used for a fine-grained, fissile,...
and Pelite
Pelite
Pelite is old and currently not widely used field terminology for a clayey fine-grained clastic sediment or sedimentary rock, i.e. mud or mudstone. It is equivalent to the Latin-derived term lutite. More commonly, metamorphic geologists currently use pelite for a metamorphosed fine-grained...
with a Siluro-Devonian Dyke
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
prominent round the northern and eastern face. It is one of the Arrochar Alps
Arrochar Alps
The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne,and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead in Argyll, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular with hillwalkers, due to their proximity and accessibility from Glasgow...
and stands slightly separate from the other mountains of the group being connected on its western side to the neighbouring Beinn Ìme
Beinn Ime
Beinn Ìme is the highest mountain in the Arrochar Alps, in the Southern Highlands of Scotland. There are three usual routes of ascent. From Succoth, one may follow the same path that is used to reach The Cobbler before taking the right fork near the base of the Cobbler's main crags and continuing...
by a low col at 492 metres. Ben Vane itself just qualifies as a Munro
Munro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
reaching a height of 915 metres (3002 feet) and is characterised by steep and rugged slopes which fall away to the Inveruglas Water to the east and the Allt Coiregroigan to the south; to the north the descent is more undulating going over the subsidiary top of Beinn Dubh before falling to the valley at the north end of Loch Sloy. Dense forestry cloak the mountain on its lower southern slope in Allt Coiregroigan. Also on these southern slopes by the Allt Coiregroigan is a disused quarry which provided crushed stone used for the construction of the Loch Sloy dam in the late 1940s. The dam wall lies two km to the north of the quarry and a conveyor belt was constructed to carry the crushed stone over the lower slopes of Ben Vane to the batching plant
Precast concrete
By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment , the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored by plant employees. Utilizing a Precast Concrete system offers many potential advantages over site casting of concrete...
beside the dam.
The direct route up the mountain starts from the car park at grid reference opposite the Loch Sloy power station on the banks of Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
and follows the private tarmac road by the Inveruglas Water up to the Loch Sloy hydro
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
for two kilometres before striking steeply up the mountain's eastern ridge. Initially there is some boggy ground and some crags to avoid higher up but the top is easily reached after a few false summits on the way. Ben Vane can also be climbed in conjunction with some of the other Arrochar Alps especially Beinn Ìme and Beinn Narnain
Beinn Narnain
Beinn Narnain is a mountain in the southern Highlands of Scotland, near Arrochar. It forms part of a group of hills known as the Arrochar Alps, and is a Munro. The name Beinn Narnain means "hill of notches", and describes the mountain's notched profile.Beinn Narnain is usually climbed from...
.
The summit of the mountain is a small plateau crowned by a cairn. The highlights of the view from the top of Ben Vane are Ben Vorlich
Ben Vorlich (Loch Lomond)
Ben Vorlich is a Scottish mountain situated between the northernmost section of Loch Lomond and Loch Sloy...
and Loch Sloy to the north east and the rest of the Arrochar Alps to the south west, A' Chrois looks especially fine across the deep valley of Allt Coiregrogain. The vista to Lochs Arklet and Katrine
Loch Katrine
Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling, Scotland. It is roughly 8 miles long by 2/3 of a mile wide and runs the length of Strath Gartney...
to the east is very good.