Ben Lomond from Rowardennan

From the information and toilet block at Ben Lomond car park, follow the narrow path through oak woods. It climbs to a deer-fence gate; beyond that you cross a wide forestry track and the gradient steepens. The way winds through regenerating birch and Scots pine, over a small bridge, then leaves the trees for open ground around Coire Corrach. The first full look back is worth a pause: at the hill-fence gate, Loch Lomond and its islands lie below you.

Look for the remains of stone shielings, shelters used when cattle were grazed here in summer. The name Coire Corrach means “steep corrie,” a fair description of this bowl. The stone-pitched route continues up zigzags to Sron Aonaich, where the climb briefly eases on a broad ridge. Heather, sedges and sphagnum moss cover the high ground; ahead, the summit comes into view. This is no path to improvise off: parts once eroded as wide as 20 metres, and the high-altitude vegetation is fragile.

Past the broad ridge, the path steepens again for the final roughly 300 metres of trail. Stone-pitched zigzags lead onto exposed ground with a steep drop toward the northern corrie in places. The crags of Coire Fuar sit beneath the route, so take care where you stop and stay on the built path. The trig point at the summit was erected in the 1930s. On a clear day, Loch Lomond’s islands, the Arrochar Alps and the Cobbler anchor the view; farther out, you may see Arran, the Paps of Jura or even Ben Nevis. For a summit photo, include a few islands in the foreground so the loch looks as broad as it does from the top. Cloud can hide that payoff, but the climb remains a hard outing. Weather changes quickly up here.

Use Ben Lomond Car Park at Rowardennan, beside the path start. Parking can fill quickly, with overflow parking before the village. Toilets and a water station are at the start. Balmaha’s Village Shop is the last shop before Rowardennan. The mountain isn’t visible from the car park; walk to the metal jetty on the loch shore if you want a view before setting out.

A return over Ptarmigan Ridge makes a rougher circuit with a very steep, rocky descent. That is a different route from this main-path out-and-back, and is not included in the 13 km distance here. Keep dogs on a lead to protect grazing livestock and wildlife.