Hiking Highlight
Recommended by 60 hikers
This Highlight is in a protected area
Please check local regulations for: Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
The highest peak in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Ben More is a challenging, steep hike at 3,852 feet (1,174 m). This wonderfully pyramidal mountain is tough due to its terrain, vague-to-invisible paths and sheer steepness but the views are fantastic long before you even reach the top.
Hiking trails up Ben More tend to start from Inverlochaig to the south or Ben More Farm to the north. Either way, the terrain is grassy with crags jutting out from the steep slopes at regular intervals. Summiting this behemoth is no easy feat and few could escape the serious thigh burn but when you reach the summit cairn, all your tiredness will be forgotten.
Standing on top of the world
Ben More might not be the highest Munro in Scotland (it’s the 16th), but it sure feels like it when you’re catching your breath at the summit. With nothing in the UK south of this peak rising higher, Ben More presides over the land with an unerring grace.
Grassy, rocky terrain dominates the summit with a cairn and trig point. Due south, the sleek peak of Stob Binnein will call you onwards to it if you haven’t already come that way. Bagging both summits is common but the descent between is significant with a clear path and you can decide whether to go for a second peak while munching your trail mix on the first.
With innumerable streams and liable to a heavy misting from hovering cloud, not to mention rain, hiking Ben More can be a boggy affair and winter brings treacherous ice and snow; suitable only for experienced winter mountaineers. During the summer, this stunning mountain sees changeable conditions and high winds so always be prepared.
Beautifully triangular, Ben More is the highest of the so-called Crianlarich Hills. It dominates the skyline of this part of Scotland, forming a distinctive V-shaped notch on the horizon with Stob Binnein. It is a sadistically steep, lung-heaving, leg-aching climb to the towering summit – but, if you haven’t collapsed, the views are worth it.
December 13, 2019
For me, Stob Binnein was the second to last stop in a mega day out hillwalking (and peak bagging) in the Scottish Highlands in April 2019. I bagged 7 Munros that day and by the time I got to Stob Binnein, I was exhausted! The 1,165m Munro giant is often climbed with Ben More (its neighbour) which is only marginally higher and generally gets more attention.
April 2, 2020
Ben More from the Farm is an incredibly steep path, with some boggy sections lower down. The views near the top are fantastic, and makes it worth the short climb. Stob Binnein is worth doing after, and the descent from there down the back of Ben More and round is a much better path to return to the road.
October 7, 2021
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