Ben Venue Route 5
Kirstie Shirra climbs a small but perfectly formed peak in the Trossachs that boasts some serious royal connections ....
Climb a perfectly proportioned peak
Standing proud at the heart of the Trossachs, Queens, Dukes, poets and outlaws have all paid homage to the small but majestic peak of Ben Venue. Surrounded by Loch Katrine, Loch Achray and Loch Ard, its prominent position belies its 727m height.
Ben Venue is part of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, whose
41,500 acres were designated a National Forest Park to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. In 2002, it became part of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Scotland’s first National Park.
Prior to that, Queen Victoria, possibly inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s poem based in the Trossachs, had a holiday house overlooking Loch Katrine, visiting in 1859 and 1869.
The legendary outlaw Rob Roy Macgregor was born at Glengyle on the banks of Loch Katrine in 1761. He and his adversary James Graham, the 1st Duke of Montrose, had a near 30-year feud following a loan from the Duke to Rob Roy. The money was allegedly stolen, preventing Macgregor paying it back. The Duke outlawed Macgregor, taking his land. Macgregor then retaliated by stealing the Duke’s cattle. History has made a hero of Rob Roy, while casting the Duke as an enemy of the people.
The 4th Duke of Montrose built the impressive Duke’s Pass road from Aberfoyle to Loch Katrine in 1829, with tourists paying a toll to use it. When it finally stopped levying tolls in 1936 it was the last toll road in Scotland, possibly making the 4th Duke almost as unpopular as the 1st.
Today Ben Venue attracts more hillwalkers than cattle rustlers or royalty, but it is still as popular as ever.
1 NN505068 Leave the car park via a path to its rear, following blue waymarkers. This splits after going over a small lump, go left, crossing a boardwalk to reach the private road to Loch Katrine dam. Go left along the road, taking a small path off to the left at another blue waymarker.
2 NN495065 This path goes down to and crosses the Achray Water by way of a wooden bridge. A series of paths then lead you through Gleann Riabhach first on a track signposted right to Ben Venue, then a smaller path left uphill. When this meets a track, continue right to reach another, more level track. Go left along this briefly before taking another small path off to the right (again signed). This path heads uphill, crossing one, final, forestry track before emerging onto open hillside.
3 NN474051 From here the path is more like a typical Scottish hill path with boggy, rough sections. It climbs north-north-west into the corrie with a burn to the left. You gain a broad shelf of the corrie before a final, steeper climb to the col between Creag a’ Bhealaich and Ben Venue at 580m.
4 NN469060 Leaving the large cairn at the col, head right north-east up a steeper, rockier path following the ridge line. This splits halfway up, the left fork heading first to the smaller of the two tops, the right fork directly to the highest. Either way can be taken to arrive at the summit.
5 NN477061 From here there are great views down to Loch Katrine, over the other Trossach hills and across to the Arrochar Alps. Return via the same route.