Conic Hill, Balmaha, Loch Lomond

We scaled this small hill both on our interview selection day and then again during our first induction week. A hugely popular short walk, in a very busy national park location, Conic faces huge challenges in terms of footfall and the damage it is doing to the designated pathway to the top. We talked about ideas for its improvement, discussed ways we could take part and saw first hand - through observing walkers - where some of the main challenges lay. It is also a good example of old and new stonework methods so we were able to discuss pros and cons to each.
We also, in terms of exploration and conservation, used the hill as a place to learn some of our first, basic stone handling skills, using pinch bars and other tools to safely move stone into desired locations. Again we attempted to leave to no trace of our efforts on departure, preserving the natural look of the landscape as much as possible.
While no work of our own is scheduled for Conic Hill, there is some potential for volunteer and other work there with partner agencies, so we may be able to get involved with conserving it, or helping improving it at least, at a later date.
It is probably the peak I have climbed most in the area, so I already had/have a fondness for it, but that has only increased through gaining further knowledge and carrying out some work on it.