M184 | 974 m. | 3196 ft.
Translation: Beacon hill
Pronuncation: Ben Low-mond

This being the first hill of a ten-day outing Frank and I reached the car park on the east shore of Loch Lomond at Rowardennan Youth Hostel by 3 p.m. We put on our gear, set off and —- missed the path behind the toilet block. Instead we followed another track which led us into thickets and plantations of young fir trees. After some plodding around we reached a clearing and regained the tourist path up Ben Lomond. From then on it was plain sailing. We quickly reached Sron Aonaich and trodded up the path to the higher regions of the Ben. Engulfed in clouds. No views. The final steepening and the following flat section of the ridge announced the arrival at the summit of Ben Lomond. Soon we reached the cairn, had a snack, took a few pictures and congratulated each other on having done one of the four geographically extreme Munros: The most southerly one. With the days work done and no views to be had we decided to head back to the car without further ado. No Ptarmigain ridge today. After just under four hours we got back to the car, threw our stuff into the boot and headed off for the B&B, meal and a few pints at Drymen. Easy first day.


Description Ben Lomond stands in a conspicuous position at the southern edge of the Highlands and deserves its name meaning beacon hill, for it can be seen from a long way off, and in its turn it commands a wide view across both the Lowlands and the Highlands. It rises in isolation above the east side of Loch Lomond, and is reached along the road from Drymen to Rowardennan. Although Ben Lomond appears from many viewpoints to be a conical hill, the summit is in fact a short level ridge curving round the head of the north-east corrie. The normal route of ascent starts from the carpark at the end of the public road just beyond Rowardennan Hotel. From there a path is followed north-east to emerge from the forest onto the broad south ridge. Continue along it for 3 kilometres to reach the narrow ridge which leads to the summit.