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Ben Ledi is the highest hill in the Trossachs and situated on the southern edge of the Highlands. It is part of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and situated between Callander and Strathyre. With a height of 867m, this hill offers fantastic views on the beautiful surroundings. On a clear day Ben Ledi can be seen from Stirling, Callander and many other places in Central Scotland. The top of the hill offers fantastic views to Loch Lubnaig and Loch Venachar. The hill itself is quite green and has some forest on the side. The name "Ben Ledi" means "Hill of the long shoulder".
Ben Ledi appears in Walter Scott’s poem “Lady of the Lake”. In 1791 Rev Doctor James Robertson, the minister of the parish church, mistakenly translated the name of Ben Ledi into “Hill of God”. North to Ben Ledi lies the Lochan nan Corp: A small loch 655m above sea level. Translated it means “the little loch of the dead”. Its name is because of of an accident to a funeral party where 200 people died.
Hill Walking
The main walking path starts at the Forestry Commission car park nearby the road to Stank. There you can find maps with information about the routes. One interesting route is nearby Stank Glen which first goes through the forest and then climbs steep up. There are pinnacles higher up on the south side and rock climbing as well as abseiling is possible there. This route goes along Ben Ledi’s East Side which offers the best views with Loch Lubnaig and River Leny. The south is very flat and rather unspectacular. On a very clear day, it is worthwhile to have a look to the west where you can see the Arrochar Alps, Ben Lomond and Ben Arthur (The Cobbler). Ben Ledi is a good hill to see the contrasts of the Highland Boundary Fault which separates Lowlands and Highlands. Because of the beautiful views, sometimes Ben Ledi is also used for paragliding.
Ben Ledi is ideal for hill walking beginners and can be combined with a visit of the Falls of Leny, Callander or Brig O Turk. The paths are clearly visible and hill walking here is not very challenging. From Brig O Turk there is an easy route to Ben Ledi starting with a small private road along Glen Finglas and later up to Ben Ledi. Nevertheless, the more interesting and direct route is the one up Stank Glen described above. Above you can see an interactive map showing Ben Ledi and the car park at Stank Glen.
Other hills nearby
For those who like to see more of the Trossachs’ Landscape, there is a number of other interesting hills nearby Ben Ledi. Ben A’an is a relatively low hill which is also suitable for hail walking beginners. It offers fantastic views on the famous Loch Katrine. Situated south of Ben A’an is Ben Venue which is also next to Loch Katrine and the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. Other good places for hill walking nearby Ben Ledi are Ben Lomond in the West of the Trossachs and Ben Vorlich with Stuc a’ Chroin next to Loch Earn. These Munros are nearly 1000m high and offer good additional hill walking possibilities.
Directions
From Stirling just follow the Road direction Callander. Pass Callander and turn left when you reach Kilmahog and soon you’ll arrive at the car park.
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