Ben A’an is our favourite viewpoint in Scotland, and quite rightly! Beautifully located overlooking Loch Katrine Trossachs, with farther views to nearby hills, Ben Venue and Ben Ledi. On a clear day, view from Ben A’an summit stretches as far as Ben Lomond and Arrochar Alps!

Sometimes Ben Aan is described as a mountain in miniature: it’s not very high, in fact it is not even a separate mountain, but a part of Meall Reamhar massif. Nonetheless it’s full of character and view it offers in exchange of a 1.5-2 hours climb is amazing.

We have visited Ben A’an on numerous occasions (different times of day and in all seasons!) and we were never disappointed! So if you’re visiting Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, add this hike to your itinerary and see some of Scotland’s best views!

Ben A’an adventure can be extended by visiting nearby Loch Katrine. Depending on individual preferences, one can enjoy a short steam ship trip, explore nearby trails by foot, or alternatively rent a bike and cycle along Loch Katrine shores. Please see bottom of the page to find out how to make the most of visiting Ben A’an and Loch Katrine!

 

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Ben A’an hike

 

• • • Height: 454 masl
      • Total time: 3 hours
    • Total distance: 3.5 km
    • Parking: dedicated car park at the top of Loch Achray (charge applies COINS or CARD paymennts, £5 for all day) No facilities. Directions.
    • Level of difficulty: 2 – easy hill walk, good path.
    • Ben A’an weather: weather forecast for Ben A’an (Aberfoyle)
    • Which map: Ordnance Survey OL 46 The Trossachs

 

 

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Ben A’an hiking trail

Ben A’an trail starts just across the road from dedicated car park and is signposted. It has greatly changed over the years; what used to be a small rugged path, flooded most of the year has now been developed into a well made track. In the past we used to joke that the greatest challenge of hiking Ben A’an was keeping the feet dry, but thankfully it’s not the case anymore! Therefore, someone who has hiked Ben A’an few years ago, would find it a totally different experience nowadays.

The Ben A’an trail follows a small stream and gently climbs in old woodland. After about 40 minutes, it comes to a clearing and Ben A’an summit is finally seen for the first time.

Summit of Ben A’an seemed to be towering high above us, it looked very steep. But don’t let this feeling dishearten you! Having arrived to the clearing you have already hiked more than half way up and the remaining part is much easier than it seems!

 

From the clearing, path is constructed of large boulders, they’re make great steps and the height is gained very quickly. Also, it was less steep than we anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re short (like me) you may find this section strenuous, but it’s only 20 minutes climb and then you’re almost at the top!

Stone steps ended suddenly and we were on a high ground, just below the summit. It’s almost flat and great opportunity to catch breath before continuing further to the very top of Ben A’an.

However, soon we lost breath again; only this time it was due to amazing views in front of us! Loch Katrine was stretched below, as far as the horizon; and the surrounding mountains were ‘dressed’ in green, brown, yellow or purple (depends on the season), they looked astonishing!

We were simply stunned! There is only one downside to higher parts of Ben A’an trail – it’s a relatively open space hence it usually means being battered by the wind! Therefore to improve the experience, we recommend visiting Ben A’an geared in windproof jacket and a hat. You won’t regret it!

Getting to the top of Ben A’an from the plateau is just a matter of minutes; one final push up the rugged bump and we made it to the summit! The views were spectacular: 360 degrees of beauty. We looked across to Ben Venue with its ever brown-ish slopes, further to Arrochar Alps and Ben Lomond at the far end of Loch Katrine; we also saw Loch Achray and nearby Ben Ledi.

We could stay forever at the summit of Ben A’an. It’s such an amazing viewpoint, we took our time admiring the ever changing light over the loch and nearby hills. Many visitors spend less than 15 minutes at the summit – take a photo and rush back, we could never understand that. Ben A’an is one of these viewpoints which, given a bit of time, provide countless opportunities for photography, it surprises with dynamics of light, so don’t rush back!

Finally satisfied with views, we retraced our steps to the car park. We took our time to enjoy the forest walk, spending a couple of hours in such beautiful scenery just makes us happy, and we always try to make the most of it.

Ben A’an hike map

Download file for GPS

What we loved about hiking to Ben A’an

Ben A’an is a short, but very rewarding hike with breathtaking summit views. It’s a perfect little mountain to get the feel of Scottish wild lands. What we also like about visiting Ben A’an is the fact that, after the hike, we can continue adventures at nearby Loch Katrine, whether walking or cycling. Or simply have a coffee and cake at nearby visitor centre.

How to extend Ben A’an adventure

Hiking Ben A’an takes only about 3 hours. The surrounding scenery is astonishing, hence we’re never in a hurry to leave it behind. Many times we extended our visit to this hidden corner of Scotland by exploring the shores of beautiful Loch Katrine. We usually leave the car at Loch Katrine visitor centre, there is a  large car park (charge applies) and a cafe, so why not check it out after your Ben A’an hike?

Below we listed ideas on how to enjoy Ben A’an and Loch Katrine area for a little bit longer.

Explore Loch Katrine by steam ship

Sir Walter Scott steam ship is well over 100 years old, but still serves well. Cruises on Loch Katrine have been increasingly popular, therefore a second vessel, Lady of the Lake, was brought in. We did enjoy a Loch Katrine cruise a couple of years ago: it was only a 1.5 hrs journey and a bit chilly (so remember to wrap up!), but we loved exploring clear waters and little islands on the loch.

There are several sailings available daily.

From 24/3/22 to 30/10/22 the timetable from Trossachs Pier is:

• 45 min return cruises – 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1.15pm & 2.15pm
• 1 hour return cruise – 1pm, 2.30pm and from July to September 4pm
• 2 hour return cruises* (stopping at Stronachlachar) 10.30am & 3.15pm
• Boats depart from Stronachlachar at 11.30 am & 4.20pm (55 min trip to Trossachs Pier)

*Bikes can be carried subject to availability. Cost £2 per dog, subject to availability. Unfortunately no disable access to the boats.

Note if you plan to travel from Stronachlachar to Trossachs Pier, you must pre-book your ticket to be sure of travel.

Cruises on Loch Katrine can be booked in advance – available cruises and booking options.

Have a walk along Loch Katrine shores, finish it with cake and coffee

There is a paved track along Loch Katrine shores, perfect for a walk. It’s suitable for disabled and families with small children. Several smaller, education trails for kids are also marked from car park. So why not have a little walk along shores of the loch and enjoy freshly brewed coffee and a cake afterwards?

Hire a bike (or bring your own!) to cycle along Loch Katrine

The paved trail along Loch Katrine shores is perfect for cycling! It’s virtually traffic free, only used by locals to access nearby houses and farms. OK, it gets busy with walkers at times, however from our experience, most walkers turn back after only a mile or two.

Bike hire is available at Loch Katrine car park, near visitors centre which is perfect for short cycling trips, it’s hassle free. The easiest cycling route is simply following loch’s shores on paved track and back.

Alternatively, between May and October, you can either take the ship to Stronchlachar and cycle back to Trossachs Pier or take a reverse route cycling to Stronachlachar and travel by boat with your bike to Trossachs Pier. You can take hired bike free of charge, the fee for your own bike is £2.

Full day cycling adventure near Loch Katrine

If planning a longer cycling trip, we recommend bringing your own bike.

Our route, as per map below, was a 53 km / 35 miles circle. We have, however, chosen a different starting point, free large visitors car park in Aberfoyle. Why cycling from Aberfoyle? Due to two reasons; firstly – free parking, secondly – cycling over the challenging Duke’s Pass first, while we were still fresh and full of beans. Duke’s Pass is the hardest part of the route.

The route is very picturesque, it climbs a high pass at first, and although challenging, it’s rewarded with overview over scenic lochs – Loch Venechar and Loch Achray, as well as to Ben Ledi and Ben A’an. Farther, views across Loch Katrine are spectacular, and since it’s the most remote section of the route, one can enjoy peace and tranquillity brought by calm waters shaded by beautiful mountains. We highly recommend exploring Loch Katrine area by bike! In our opinion the cycling route around Loch Katrine is one of the best cycling trips in Scotland!

Loch Katrine and the Trossachs cycling route!

Quick route description

From Aberfoyle we cycled on forest tracks to Duke’s Pass and down to Loch Achray. We continued to Loch Katrine and followed paved track along loch’s shores. All the way along Loch Katrine, from visitor centre till Kinlochard the track is virtually traffic free. Later, we encountered very little traffic on last section between Kinlochard to Aberfoyle.

The route is challenging; hardest part is a steep climb to Duke’s Pass, also it’s pretty much up and down along northern shores of Loch Katrine. Luckily, section from Loch Arklet to Aberfoyle it’s mostly down the hill.

 

Wild Camping near Ben A’an and nearest campsites

Although Scotland’s access legislation (the Land Reform Scotland Act 2003), allows wild camping on most unenclosed land, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park area are excluded. This region has been extremely popular with campers for many years which led to degradation in many areas of the park. Hence, the Park’s management introduced a ban for wild camping – it is forbidden by law from April to October, unless you apply for a permit.

Nearest campsites are: Cobleland Campsite near Aberfoyle, Immervoulin Caravan and Camping near Stratchyre, Loch Chon Campsite near Aberfoyle, Trossachs Holiday Park in Gartmore, Keltie Bridge Caravan Park in Callander.

Motorhomes are now allowed overnight stay at both Trossachs Pier and Stronachlachar Pier. Please note however that electric hookups are only available only at Trossachs Pier.

Charges:

Trossachs Pier : £20 to park overnight at with electricity, Wi-Fi and water (you must book if you want electricity) or £10 without services. Stronachlachar, the overnight parking charge is £10 (with no services).

Dedicated 24-hour toilet/shower facility at both Trossachs Pier and Stronachlachar Pier for a £5 charge. None of the car park has grey water disposal.

 

*Level of difficulty explained:  1– easy walk, mostly flat   2-easy hillwalk, good path   3-moderate, possible some steep sections   4-long hillwalk, possibly some scrambling involved, possibly pathless   5-difficult, possibly pathless, long, requires technical skills

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