📌 Tyndrum, Stirling
★★★★
The first time we laid eyes on Ben Lui and its snow-filled coires, it took our breath away. The popular Munro bagger’s route from the north for people in a hurry has problems with bog and a wide river to ford, also missing out on the hill’s best side. Instead, approach from Dalrigh to see this graceful, formidable massif in its full glory, returning over the range’s three other Munros. It’s a long day: 16 miles with nearly 2,000 metres of ascent meant we felt pretty legless at the end of it all. But this intensely beautiful route is well worth suffering for, taking in dramatic coires and ridges, magnificent vistas, clear mountain burns and majestic glens. Save this one for a day when the ground is dry, otherwise bog could spoil the descent through ancient Caledonian woodland at the end of the day.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Walk in along the River Cononish 
Ben Lui 
Ben Lui 
Below Coire Gaothach 
Coire Gaothach 
View east down the River Cononish after gaining the coire headwall 
North ridge of Ben Lui 
Loch Awe from Ben Lui summit 
Ben Lui summit cairn 
View south from Ben Lui summit 
Looking east to Beinn a’ Chleibh 
Ben Lui from the ascent of Beinn a’ Chleibh 
View north down Fionn Choirein (a popular ascent route) 
Beinn a’ Chleibh 
Ptarmigan on the traverse underneath Ben Lui 
Ben Oss from the southern slopes of Ben Lui 
Ben Lui from Ben Oss 
Ben Oss summit cairn 
Beinn Dubhchraig & Loch Oss from Ben Oss 
Beinn Dubhchraig summit cairn 
View north from Beinn Dubhchraig 
Descending into the pine forest 
This footbridge over the Allt Gleann Auchreoch has now been replaced 
Tyndrum Hills from the final leg
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at Dalrigh, A82 1 mi southeast of Tyndrum
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NN 344291
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.425077,-4.686841
🚆 Tyndrum Lower (1 mi via West Highland Way) | 🚌 Bus to Tyndrum (1 mi via West Highland Way)
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 25 km / 16 mi | ▲ 1880 m | ⌛ 10-11 hr
Features: △ Ben Lui (1130 m, Munro); △ Beinn a’ Chleibh (916 m, Munro); △ Ben Oss (1029 m, Munro); △ Ben Dubhchraig (978 m, Munro); 🌲 Gleann Auchreoch pinewoods
⬤ Very tough | Track on approach, then mostly rough paths. Pathless sections: very briefly in Coire Gaothach, very start of descent from Ben Dubhchraig, traverse of Ben Lui’s south slopes; only intermittent path for ascent of Ben Oss. The odd hand might be needed for steep ascent of Ben Lui’s NE ridge. Bog rare until final descent from Ben Dubhcraig, which can get very boggy.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit with extensions: start – Cononish Farm – track end at Allt an Rund – Coire Gaothach – gain Ben Lui NE ridge at 900m contour – Ben Lui – Ben a’ Chleibh – retrace steps to 800m contour on Ben Lui – Leacann Ben Laoigh – Ben Oss – Ben Dubhchraig – retrace steps to 900m contour – Allt Coire Dubhchraig – Gleann Auchreoch pinewoods – cross new footbridge across Allt Gleann Auchreoch just above confluence with River Cononish – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Several ptarmigan on Ben Lui, sheep / lambs lower down, wood ants in the pinewoods.
Weather: Bluebird with temperature in mid teens at the base; light breeze tending to fade through the day.
May 2017
