Conic Hill

My little, trusty hiker admiring the view.

One gorgeous morning I went for a run and came home to tell my husband we needed to go for a hike. Naturally, we have multiple hiking books, boots, gear, etc, but we haven’t been on many hikes. Something, something, two small child that require being carried and therefore will eventually break our backs before we reach the summit.

BUT, our three year old is small but surprisingly mighty. And she apparently enjoys a good hike. Aaron keeps saying we’ll do Ben Lomond next, but I’m thinking I’ll hold off until spring for that. :)

The hill has a 350m ascent, so it’s a pretty easy walk. There are stairs, and we opted off the West Highland Way to scramble up stones to reach the true summit. See, if my 3 year old can climb up that rocky bit, you can too! I climbed it with a sleeping baby on my back, and felt wonderfully daring.

The fault line and islands all lined up. My symmetry-loving soul really appreciated that.

The walk only took about 2 hours, although Walk Scotland recommends 2-3. It did get far busier later in the day than I was expecting, but in the early morning, it was so quiet and nice. It’s also on the West Highland Way, so you may meet hikers, and it’s always fun to hear their stories!

To begin this hike, park in the car park in Balmaha, there is a small path at the end of it, veer right and stay on the well-used path. The remainder of the way is a trail to the top of the hill, or you can branch off and climb the summit by looking for a path to the right that scales up a stony patch. We did find areas of it to be quite muddy, so hiking boots would be recommended. Also, there are sheep and cows there, so perhaps mind your step.