Ben Lui

Ben Lui, at 1,130 metres, is widely considered the finest mountain in the Southern Highlands, its graceful twin ridges enclosing the dramatic corrie of Coire Gaothach and drawing comparisons as "the queen of Scottish mountains."

The route starts from the Dalrigh car park, a mile south of Tyndrum on the A82, following the Cononish track — a broad, well-surfaced route often likened to a "motorway" by regular visitors — past the West Highland Way junction and under a railway bridge. The track continues for around 3 kilometres to Cononish farm, notable for its working gold mine, before narrowing and climbing gently to a river crossing at the foot of the mountain. From here a path climbs steeply into the impressive rocky bowl of Coire Gaothach, with most walkers bearing right to scramble onto the north ridge, Stob Garbh, before following this round to the summit — though a steep, direct route up craggy ground opposite the corrie's stile offers an alternative for those with scrambling experience.

Very fit walkers often continue south-west from the summit to the neighbouring, much smaller Munro of Beinn a' Chlèibh, contouring on grassy western slopes to the bealach before a well-defined path leads to its summit cairn — a worthwhile add-on given how little extra effort is required once already at height.

The round trip to Ben Lui alone from Dalrigh is around 18-19 kilometres with roughly 1,100 metres of ascent, typically seven to nine hours; adding Beinn a' Chlèibh extends this only slightly further.

Ben Lui is famed for retaining snow late into the year — Coire Gaothach can hold a cornice and steep snow banks well into spring, making this a serious winter mountaineering objective at that time, and navigation around the upper corrie rim is notoriously difficult in poor visibility even in summer. The mountain is also a National Nature Reserve, protecting rare montane willows, saxifrages, and lichens.

The Dalrigh car park is free but can be busy given it also serves the West Highland Way and neighbouring Munros; Tyndrum has both rail stations nearby.