Get Lost Mountaineering

Ben Lomond and Ptarmigan Ridge from Rowardennan

Start/Finish

Public car park (£5 per day in 2024) at the end of the public road at Rowardennan. It is a large car park but can soon fill up at busy times. There is an overflow car park about a mile back up the road which will lengthen the walk.

Distance/Time

13 km    About 6 – 7 hours.

Peaks

Ben Lomond, 931 m, NN 367 028.   OS Sheet 56.

Introduction

Ben Lomond is the dominant peak on the eastern side of Loch Lomond. On a clear day, there are superb views not just of surrounding mountains but also of the lochs in the Trossachs, Loch Lomond and even Loch Fyne. There is a straightforward path from Rowardeenan to the summit but it has rocky sections and to some will seem tedious, strenuous and unrelenting.

Route

(1) From the main car park, walk through the toilet block. The path up Ben Lomond starts on the other side. It soon crosses a track which comes from the overflow car park then continues up, eventually leaving the forestry behind. Continue up, steeply in places, passing a large crag off to the right. Continue up. For some reason, the path does not gain the summit ridge until the summit itself but one could easily gain the crest if so wishing. Reach the, now broken, trig point which is the summit of Ben Lomond, 931 m.

(2) The easiest descent is to retrace the ascent route but a more pleasing option is to descend the steep and rocky north west ridge which needs care but there is a reasonable path which leads down before going left onto the Ptarmigan ridge. The obvious path meanders along the ridge, often on the left, before dropping off to the right. A gate is reached, after which the path becomes narrower and less pleasant before dropping more steeply to reach another gate then continuing through woodland to reach the main track from Rowardennan at Ardess where, in 2024, there was a cake box for snacks and drinks. Continue south along the track passing the youth hostel and soon reach the main car park

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 8^th July, 2024.