Undiscovered Scotland

 

Ben Lomond is the most southerly Munro and, at 3,195ft or 974m, towers over the eastern shores of Loch Lomond.

Ben Lomond is, cloud permitting, a superb viewpoint with views extending across much of the Southern Highlands. Its prominence also probably gave rise to its name; which translates as "Beacon Hill".

Being the most southerly Munro, being so close to Glasgow, and being so straightforward, Ben Lomond is also one of the most popular, and if you like the hills to yourself then pick your time carefully: or choose somewhere else!

To get to Ben Lomond you take the road from Drymen that goes through Balmaha. This you follow up the east side of Loch Lomond for almost as far as it goes, to a car park just beyond the Rowardennan Hotel.

The upward path is obvious - at times all too obvious - and you simply trek on up through the forest to the open hillside above. Here you curve to your left onto the southern ridge of Ben Lomond, again following a route that shows clearly the popularity of the mountain.

Higher still, on the summit cone itself, the going becomes more rocky and the views open out even more dramatically. The summit itself has views that, in good weather at least, make you want to stay forever.

To descend, you either retrace your steps down the south ridge, or take an alternative that drops down north-west then south-west and includes Ptarmigan, at 731m, before descending its south ridge to reach the lochside not far north of your starting point.

Ben Lomond is not Scotland's most exciting mountain. Nor is it a mountain on which you are likely to find solitude: sit near the summit for long and you are bound to overhear someone calling their girlfriend, boyfriend, mum etc. on a mobile phone to tell them - and you, and anyone else within two hundred yards - that they've climbed a Munro... But the views really are superb and for a fairly short day out on the hill to blow away the cobwebs, Ben Lomond has a lot going for it.