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INTRODUCTION

The High Road and the Low

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs are the beginning of the big hills of the Scottish Highlands. And given that they stand in the front doorway, it's only right that they are the friendly and welcoming ones. Instead of huge crags and airy, scary ridges, here are small paths that weave uphill among boulders and little lumpy outcrops. The Munros (3000ft or 914m mountains) are not easy anywhere, but here in the south they are that little bit less serious.

So it makes sense that these hills, first in geography for those approaching from the cities of the south, are also, for many Scottish hill-goers, first in time. The Munro tick-list will often start off on the most southerly of them all, Ben Lomond. Rowardennan car park is large, and has a handy shelter hut. Ben Lomond's path is as wide, and as well used, as a town shopping street – but a lot more sociable and friendly. Chaps with chainsaws have cleared the gloomy spruce from the lower slopes, so straight away you see the spreading waters of Loch Lomond and feel the cool mountain air. The path will offer views of the much-sung loch all the way up – at least, until the cloud closes in. And across the otherwise gentle slope runs one small crag, as a first footfall on the crinkly grey mountain rock. It's the schist of the southern Highlands, wrinkled like the hide of an elderly rhinoceros, and like that rhinoceros friendly on the whole but with the occasional nasty moment. Unlike the rhino, the grey schist breaks down into a fertile soil that gives lots of grass, a sprinkling of tormentil and bedstraw, and in special lime-rich corners the tiny gardens of alpine rarities.

Nobody, we suppose, would clamber over a rhino, however elderly. And the schist, slippery when wet and well endowed with wild flowers and other green shaggy matter, tends also to form knobs and excrescences rather than high crags. It is not great for scrambling or climbs – the Cobbler, with its fine routes and rock-tower top, is an atypical oddity. Otherwise there's a loose ridgeline on Ben Lui, some scrappy crag on Beinn a' Chroin, and small unserious scrambly moments almost anywhere.

But the walker attempting that first-ever Munro is probably quite pleased about the lack of scrambling on Ben Lomond. As you emerge at the kissing gate onto the open hill, the loch spreads ever wider, with islands casually flung about in it by a preoccupied glacier. One of the little ferryboats chugs along the shoreline, its passengers well waterproofed and hunched under the drizzle. Or it's a different day and they're wondering why the sunshine isn't also warm, as the breeze of the boat's passage flutters their T-shirts.

A clear winter's day on An Caisteal gives a panorama over most of the national park. At the left, Ben Lomond (Routes 40–42), then Loch Lomond lies under mist. Above nearby Beinn Chabhair (Route 24) are the Arrochar Alps (Routes 50–54).

Opposite, the hills of Arrochar give the impression of being somehow more mountainous than where you are just now. Their name ‘Alps’ is an exaggeration, for here are no sharp shapes high against the clouds. It's just that the skyline of Arrochar is excessively crinkly; a whole lot of ruggedness is happening over there. The Cobbler is referred to by the pedantically proper as Ben Arthur. By whatever name, its convoluted wee crags offer genuine mountain rock: more, a corner of them forms the actual highest point of the hill. So that the Cobbler, not even a Munro of 3000ft, proves to be the most difficult summit anywhere on the UK mainland.

But here on Ben Lomond the big and busy path winds upwards. The grass is comfortable, if perhaps a little damp. The view behind gives, at any moment you may need it, an excuse to stop and gaze.

Apart from the water, and the mountains opposite, the glory of that downward view is in the oak trees. Nothing sets off the smooth grass slopes and the silver-grey loch at their base half so well as the knobbly grey rocks bursting out all over the upper slopes. Nothing – apart from the lush oakwood foliage bursting out all over its base. Wild oakwoods once covered those lower slopes, and inside them lurked even wilder MacGregors and the occasional wolf. Sheep have nibbled the saplings and stripped the slopes to bare grass. But in recent years more and more of the dreary spruce is being chopped down, and the wild oakwoods are rising again.

So around the lochs and along the riversides are paths where the wild flowers grow, and you glimpse water between the tree trunks. This is the Trossachs: originally a single oakwood hump at the end of Loch Katrine, the name has colonised the whole eastern end of the national park. ‘Trossachs’ now is shorthand for the rough, rugged Highland landscape experience, as invented in the late 18th century by Sir Walter Scott. For those who walk long but low, the West Highland Way, in its loveliest section, runs along the eastern side of Loch Lomond. Gentler walks are found from all the villages, through plantations and woodland to rocky viewpoints and waterfalls. Even so, by the standards of anywhere further south, any walk here will be a bit rugged. This is, after all, the homeland of Rob Roy MacGregor, the red-headed renegade who resisted the government for half his life and was celebrated by Sir Walter Scott.

Distant three-peaked Beinn Bhuidhe, outside the national park, lies above the Corbett Meall an Fhudhair (Route 27). On the right are the four summits of Ben Lui (Routes 32–39).

As well as the lochs and oakwoods, ‘Trossach’ implies a sort of midget mountain. From Ben Ledi and Ben Venue down to Ben A'an, these hills are tough but tiny, each carrying enough crag to clothe a hill of double the size.

The national park has two mountains called Ben Vorlich. This is the one above Loch Earn (Route 21), not the one at the head of Loch Lomond (pictured in Route 49).

Oakwood wandering and mini-mountains: but when it's time to get serious, there are some high-altitude hills as well. For its final quarter hour, Ben Lomond gives a taste of real Scottish mountain ground, as the ridgeline narrows, and drops on the right to an untrodden corrie. But it's on the Arrochar Alps, and above Crianlarich, that you savour the special sort of hill found here in the south. Ben More, the high point of the park, is a tough mountain, steep on every side; but the rambling range to its west, from Cruach Ardrain to Beinn Chabhair, mixes grass and rock for a day of rugged ridges and wide views. This is ridge-walking of a friendly sort, as the path winds among knobs and terraces of the crinkly schist rock. And in the northwest of the area, Ben Lui is a full-sized mountain in both altitude (1130m, Scotland's 28th) and seriousness.

Bluebells and River Forth on the Fairy Knowe at Aberfoyle (Route 5)

With their easy access, convenient shops and accommodation, and public transport by road, rail and water, these slightly less savage mountains make an excellent introduction to the Scottish Highlands. From Lomond's bonnie banks to the Hill of the Fairies, from Arrochar Alps to lowly Ben A'an, and whether you take the high road or the low, here is some of Scotland's best – and best-loved – hill country.

Walking conditions

For low-level walking, Scotland until recently has offered only the plod through the bog or the smooth and stultifying forest road through the spruce. Here in the national park this is gradually getting better. Commercial plantations are being cleared and natural oakwoods restored. Footpaths are being improved – sometimes over-improved into smooth and rather boring bike tracks, but even those are immeasurably better than the bog and brushwood they replace.

In the Trossachs in particular, the footways used daily by Rob Roy and enjoyed by Sir Walter Scott and the Wordsworths are re-emerging from under the Christmas trees. The West Highland Way, along the east side of Loch Lomond, is even better if you arrive romantically on a lake ferry.

The mid-level hills here are particularly rewarding. Because they are close to the cities, and rise rockily out of lovely lochs, they have helpful, followable paths. Ben Venue is probably Scotland's best-loved low hill (although conceivably Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh might steal that title); but with it come Conic Hill and the Luss Hills, and Ben A'an.

Even away from their paths, these smaller hills are grassy rather than harshly heather. This is down to overgrazing by the clansmen's cattle and then by sheep – but the result is that you can wander solitary in remote corners of Cowal, working your own route across unvisited small mountains, with crags around to add seriousness, but without the vegetation hell you'd find elsewhere in the Highlands. The southwest of the area is the place to look imaginatively at the map and experiment with hill routes of your own invention. The Luss hills are relatively gentle, excellent for a first-ever attempt at a self-guided walk; the Lochgoilhead and Cowal ones are more severe.

The Luss Hills offer gently grassy walking with outstanding views of Loch Lomond. Just above Luss village on Beinn Dubh (Route 48).

Mountains of 750m and upwards are conventionally distinguished as Munros (above 914.4m or 3000ft) and Corbetts (762–914m, or 2500–3000ft). Over the Highlands as a whole, it's the Munros that are pathed and peopled, and that makes them actually easier than the slightly lower Corbetts. Here, however, the Corbetts are as well walked as the higher ones; and deservedly so. Ben Ledi is every bit as good as Ben More. The Cobbler (884m) is arguably the finest hill south of Glen Coe (I shall argue with anybody who says it isn't). So in this book the ‘mountain’ designation starts at 750m.

When to go

April is still winter on the summits, but low-level routes already offer good walking then and in May. The leaves are breaking and birds are at their noisiest. Low-level routes are also excellent in October as the birch leaves turn gold.

May and June are enjoyable at all altitudes. July and August can be hot and humid, with less rewarding views and midges infesting the glens. West Highland midges can be pretty grim; the trick is to keep moving, and when you stop, stop high.

Midges hang on until the first frost, normally some time in September. October often brings clear air and lovely autumn colours. In between times there'll be gales. Over Ben Lomond and the southern approaches to the Arrochar Alps there are no access restrictions during stag stalking. Elsewhere, from mid-August (sometimes July) to 21 October, responsible access includes avoiding disturbance to deer stalking. Most estates offer email or phone contact points, or advise walkers to stick to the main paths and ridges (see Appendix B).

Winter is a time of short days and foul weather. Snow can lie on the high tops from December to April. Well-equipped walkers skilled in navigation and with ice axe love the winter most of all, for the alpine-style ascents of Ben Lui and the 100km views through the winter-chilled air.

Safety in the mountains

Safety and navigation in the mountains are best learnt from companions, experience, and perhaps a paid instructor; such instruction is outside the scope of this book. For those experienced in hills further south, such as Snowdonia or the Lake District, these hills are only slightly larger but noticeably more rugged.

The international mountain distress signal is some sign (shout, whistle, torch flash or other) repeated six times over a minute, followed by a minute's silence. The reply is a sign repeated three times over a minute, followed by a minute's silence. To signal for help from a helicopter, raise both arms above the head and then drop them down sideways, repeatedly. If you're not in trouble, don't shout or whistle on the hills, and don't wave to passing helicopters.

To call out the rescue, phone 999 from a landline. From a mobile, phone either 999 or the international emergency number 112: these will connect you via any available network. Reception is good on most summits and ridges, and on hillsides that happen to have line of sight to Crianlarich or Arrochar. Sometimes a text message to a sensible friend can get through when a voice call to the rescue service can't. You can pre-register your phone to send texts to the emergency services at www.emergencysms.org.uk. And if you don't use GPS, the smartphone OS Locate app (free) pinpoints your exact location as a grid reference.

Given the unreliable phone coverage, it is wise to leave word of your proposed route with some responsible person (and, of course, tell that person when you've returned safely). Youth hostels have specific forms for this, as do many independent hostels and B&Bs.

On the north ridge of An Caisteal (Route 23), looking to Ben Lomond

Being lost or tired is not sufficient reason for calling the rescue service, and neither – in normal summer weather – is being benighted. However, team members I've talked to say not to be too shy about calling them: they greatly prefer bringing down bodies that are still alive…

There is no charge for mountain rescue in Scotland – teams are voluntary, financed by donations from the public, with a grant from the Scottish Executive. You can make donations at youth hostels, TICs and many pubs.

Maps

Some people enjoy exploring in mountains that are poorly mapped or not mapped at all. They should stay away from the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, as it has been excellently mapped – four times over. The mapping in this book is from the Ordnance Survey's Landranger series at 1:50,000. For lower-level walks this book's mapping may well be all you need. For mountain walks, however, it's advisable to have a larger map that shows escape routes (and the other glen you end up in when you come down the wrong side of the hill).

The 1:50,000 Landranger mapping covers the area on sheets 56 (Loch Lomond), 57 (Stirling & Trossachs), 50 (Glen Orchy) and 51 (Loch Tay). The Crianlarich Hills (Parts 3 and 4) are awkwardly on the shared corner of all four maps.

For detailed exploration of crags and corries and pathless boulder slopes you will be helped by the extra contour detail at 1:25,000 scale. The Harvey maps are ideal; they are beautifully clear and legible, mark paths where they actually exist on the ground, and do not disintegrate when damp. They also overlap conveniently. Five Harvey sheets – Arrochar Alps, Crianlarich, Ben Lomond, Ben Ledi, Ben Venue – cover the national park apart from Cowal (Walks 70 to 73) and the Luss Hills (Walks 47 and 48).

The Harvey maps mark fences and walls on the open hill, but not on the lower ground; so if you're planning complicated valley walks you may prefer the Explorer maps, also at 1:25,000 scale. They are bulkier and less robust than the Harvey ones, and the contour lines are less legible, but if Harvey hadn't done it better, they'd be excellent maps. Sheets 364 (Loch Lomond North) and 365 (Trossachs) cover most of the ground, with 347, 360 and 363 for outlying western and southern walks.

Harvey also offers the British Mountain Map: Southern Highlands, covering the national park apart from Cowal at 1:40,000 scale; also the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Outdoor Atlas at 1:40,000 scale. It's spiral bound to fit into a map pocket, and has useful overlap between the pages. Not everybody will like it, but I used it for researching and walking the routes in this book.

The relevant maps (LR = Landranger; Expl = Explorer) are listed in the information box which appears at the start of each route.

In good winter conditions Ben Lui is the best. The south ridge (Route 33) with Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps behind.

Compass and GPS

A compass is a very useful aid in mist, even if your skills only extend to ‘northwest, southeast’ rather than precision bearings. Magnetic deviation is about 1° West (2018): this can usually be ignored. The crystals of magnetite found on Cruach Tairbeirt (see Appendix A) are too small to affect navigation: it's you that's wrong, not the compass!

GPS receivers should be set to the British National Grid (known variously as British Grid, Ord Srvy GB, BNG or OSGB GRB36). GPS readings are normally good within 10m, and I have given 8-digit (10m accuracy) grid references at various tricky points such as where you turn down off a ridge. I have recorded these on the hill, checking for plausibility against a 1:25,000 map afterwards. I have found GPS less reliable on steep slopes, such as the corrie of Ben Lui, with a smaller sky in sight, and hopeless in Loch Lomond's woods; so such readings should be regarded with some caution. Somewhere on the device, if you press the correct buttons, you can find the degree of inaccuracy. The GPS readings are supplementary; the book is designed for use without a GPS receiver.

In midsummer you either keep moving or wear a midge net. Marshalls on the West Highland Way Race at Beinglas campsite

What's in this book

This book suggests the most straightforward routes to each of the area's 21 Munro summits of 3000ft (910m) and over, but seeks out also the wilder and less walked-on ways around the back. It covers the slightly smaller but equally worthwhile hills in which this area is especially rich, from the Cobbler to the Luss Hills and Ben Ledi. For days of storm and wind, for snowy ones when you didn't bring your ice axe, for when you just don't feel like dragging your legs up another 600m ascent, here too are the walks of the woods and watersides.

A walker reaches her final Munro summit on Stuc a' Chroin above Loch Earn (Route 21)

Each of the Munros has its well-worn ‘standard route'. That will be the quickest and most convenient – and fairly straightforward – way up, but usually not the most interesting. I have pointed out those routes in the preambles, and they are listed in several guidebooks, including Steve Kew's Walking the Munros Vol 1 (Cicerone – see Appendix D). However, I've concentrated on what I consider the most rewarding routes for each hill. These may also be a little more demanding, as they seek out the steeper scenery and avoid the flat Landrover track.

Among less-high hills, here are routes up all but three of the area's 20 Corbetts (2500–2999ft/762–914m) as well as Meall an Fhudair, outside the boundary by 400 metres. Some of the Grahams (2000–2499ft/610–761m) are rough and comparatively unrewarding. Here are walks onto just 13 of the available 27, including Ben Venue, five of the Luss Hills, and Beinn Mhor of Cowal.

For the very finest hills I have left the choice to you. Ben Lui, the Arrochar Alps, the Cobbler: these are hills you will want to ascend lots of times, by many different routes, or ranges where only you can decide how much, once you're up, to do. For these I have given a ‘summit summary', with the standard route and the adventure around the back, the slightly rocky scramble and the long, long walk in from somewhere else altogether. Ben Ledi's various routes are spread between two sections of the book, but there's a Ben Ledi summary map in Part 1.

Camp in Coire an Lochain of Ben Lui. Such lightweight, traceless wild camping is now a legal right in Scotland

There are no icons for difficulty and length with those routes – they are all mountain routes requiring appropriate skill and care.

How to use this book

The headers at the start of each route should be self-explanatory. The walk-type icons are shown in the panel to the left; the difficulty ratings are explained below. The length ratings correspond with the approximate times in the main headers: one square indicates a route that could take up to 2.5 hours, two squares up to 4 hours, with the full five squares for walks of over 8 hours. The approximate times are based on 1 hour for 4 horizontal km or for 400m of height gained, with extra time where the ground is particularly steep or rough. They'll be about right, including brief snack stops, for a moderately paced party. There are no length squares in the Summit Summary routes as these are only half routes (and mostly uphill only).

Where a bus or train can be used to link the two ends of a linear route, or to facilitate going up one route and coming down another, I've noted this at the routes concerned. Other public transport information is in Appendix C.

In old numbers, 600ft was a vertical distance, while 200yds was horizontal. I've used a similar convention, so that 600m is an altitude or height gain, while 600 metres (with ‘etres’) is along the ground. When going up or downhill diagonally, ‘slant up left' means in a direction to left of straight up. So if straight up the slope is north, ‘slant up right' would be northeast. I use ‘track’ (rather than ‘path’) for a way wide enough for a tractor or Landrover.

Finally, the ‘standard route' up a hill is the convenient and well-trodden one featured in guidebooks like Steve Kew's Walking the Munros. It's usually the shortest, and because it's so well used, also the easiest. Sometimes it is also the best and most interesting. But to avoid 90 per cent of other hill-goers, simply stay off the standard route.

Ben Narnain sunset (Routes 52 & 53)