How to Climb Ben Lawers: Route, Time and the Nature Reserve

Ben Lawers is the highest mountain in the southern Highlands at 1,214 metres — the tenth-highest Munro in Scotland — and it towers over Loch Tay in central Perthshire. It is famous for two things: enormous summit views that stretch from coast to coast on a clear day, and a National Nature Reserve that protects some of the rarest mountain plants in Britain. It is a long, high walk rather than a technical one, and it is usually climbed together with its neighbour Beinn Ghlas.

The standard route over Beinn Ghlas

The usual ascent starts from the nature reserve car park on the minor road that climbs from Loch Tay toward Lochan na Lairige. From there a good path climbs onto Beinn Ghlas (1,103m) first, then drops to a col and climbs again to the summit of Ben Lawers. Taking in both Munros, the round is about 11 to 12 kilometres with 1,100 metres of ascent, and most walkers need 5 to 6.5 hours. There is no scrambling, but it is a sustained high-mountain day and the ground stays above 900 metres for a long stretch of ridge.

A mountain for rare plants

Ben Lawers is one of the most important botanical sites in the country. The lime-rich schist rock and high altitude support a wealth of arctic-alpine flora — saxifrages, alpine gentian, mountain forget-me-not and others — that survive here as relics of the last ice age. The mountain is a National Nature Reserve for exactly this reason. It costs you nothing to help protect it: stick to the path, especially on the flushes and crags where the rare plants grow, and keep dogs under close control.

The wider Lawers range

Ben Lawers is the high point of a long ridge that carries seven Munros in total, from Meall Greigh in the east to Meall Corranaich and Meall a'Choire Leith in the west. Very fit walkers tackle the full traverse in a single big day, but it is a serious undertaking with a car shuttle or long walk-out. For most people, the two-Munro round over Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers is the ideal outing, with the option of adding Meall Corranaich for a longer day.

When to go and what to pack

From late spring to autumn Ben Lawers is a superb high walk. Because it is so high, it holds snow late and turns wintry early — the ridge is a full winter mountaineering environment from roughly November to April, with cornices and steep snow slopes. Carry warm layers, full waterproofs, food, water, and a map and compass; the broad summit ridge needs care in cloud. Always check the summit forecast rather than the valley one.

The view from the top

On a clear day, few Munros give more for the effort. The panorama takes in the whole spread of the central Highlands, with Loch Tay directly below and, on the finest days, glimpses of the sea on both the east and west coasts. Log both summits in the Munros app — it keeps offline maps and the route for the high, exposed ridge, and ticks Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers off your round in one rewarding day.

Related guides

• Munro bagging in Perthshire — the wider region
• Best multi-day Munro routes — for the full Lawers traverse
• Perthshire Munros — all the peaks nearby