Climb Ben Lomond - Walk this famous Scottish Mountain
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| Distance Height Start Approximate time Parking |
7 miles 3250 ft Rowardennan 3-4 hours Car park Rowardennan
Photo from The Cobbler ---> |
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Outdoor activities
Walks list (all)
Although a very popular walk, this is a
serious walk in winter conditions - be properly prepared and add 50% to your time
Ben Lomond, easily accessible from most parts of central Scotland and offering magnificent views from its summit, is Scotland’s southernmost ‘Munro’ (mountain over 3,000ft) and and is probably one of the most climbed hills in Scotland.
For
all its popularity it should not be treated lightly especially in stormy or wet weather
when the unexpected onset of heavy rain and cloud can find the unwary walker dangerously
close to sheer rock faces and falls .
The walk can be treated as a linear with the return by the same route on the 'tourist path' or can be extended to become a circular walk and the return made over Tarmachan, the smaller knobbly knoll and ridge to the west of Ben Lomond
The main path starts near the little pier and behind the public toilets at Rowardennan car park and climbs through the woods with a wee scramble up some slippery rocks to continue on a rather wet and slippery track to a gate.
Once out of the trees Loch Lomond becomes increasingly visible behind you and with views opening up to the lowland hills in the south and south east.
The views to the north and west become increasingly
spectacular with the unmissable outline of the Cobbler (Ben Arthur) apparent to the north
west at Arrochar. The path veers left round the corrie Coire Corrach and up to the Sron
Aonaich ridge.
The final and steepest part of the climb zig-zags up to the 3250ft summit, where you have earned a breathtaking view down into corrie Coire a’ Bhathaich on the north side.
The panorana from the summit includes a bevy of peaks, from Bens Cruachan, Lui, Nevis, More, Lawers and Stobinian with Ben Ledi and Ben Venue in The Trossachs, the Paps of Jura in the west and Goat Fell with its sisters on the Isle of Arran.
Many parts, especially the steeper parts of the track have been rough paved to conserve the surface.
Some walkers tend to avoid this slightly 'uncomfortable' surface and walk on the grassy verges. If tempted to follow their example, just take a look at some of the lake district mountain tracks where the paths on the fells are visible for miles!
The photo above right shows a bank of cloud approaching from the south east. Within 10 minutes of this photo nothing was visible beyond 30 feet.
Return route
Return by the same route, or vary and extend by scrambling down a faint track to the west of the trig pillar on steep craggy rocks to Ptarmigan then walking roughly southward along the shoulder where the route drops steeply then follows the ridge south. A well trodden path leads very steeply down to Ardess, near the Youth Hostel.