Ben Ledi (
Beinn Leitir in Scottish Gaelic) is a
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
in
PerthshireStirling is one of the 32 unitary local government council areas of Scotland, and has a population of about 85,000. It was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994 with the boundaries of the Stirling district of the former Central local government region, and it covers most of the former...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is 879 m (2884 ft) high, and is classified as a Corbett. By road it lies about eight kilometres (5 miles) north-west of
CallanderCallander is a burgh in the region of Stirling, Scotland, on the River Teith. The town is located in the former County of Perthshire, and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands....
, near the village of
KilmahogKilmahog is a hamlet situated half a mile to the west of Callander, Scotland.-Geography:Kilmahog lies on the Garbh Uisge, at the junction of the Trossachs and Lochearnhead roads...
. It is situated in the
TrossachsThe Trossachs itself is a small woodland glen in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It lies between Ben A'an to the north and Ben Venue to the south, with Loch Katrine to the west and Loch Achray to the east...
hills, which are often regarded as having some of the most romantic scenery in the
HighlandsThe Scottish Highlands include the rugged and mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east...
.
Ben Ledi is particularly well known through
Walter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet, popular throughout Europe during his time....
's poem
Lady of the LakeThe Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father. Different writers and copyists give her name...
.
Ben Ledi (
Beinn Leitir in Scottish Gaelic) is a
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
in
PerthshireStirling is one of the 32 unitary local government council areas of Scotland, and has a population of about 85,000. It was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994 with the boundaries of the Stirling district of the former Central local government region, and it covers most of the former...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is 879 m (2884 ft) high, and is classified as a Corbett. By road it lies about eight kilometres (5 miles) north-west of
CallanderCallander is a burgh in the region of Stirling, Scotland, on the River Teith. The town is located in the former County of Perthshire, and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands....
, near the village of
KilmahogKilmahog is a hamlet situated half a mile to the west of Callander, Scotland.-Geography:Kilmahog lies on the Garbh Uisge, at the junction of the Trossachs and Lochearnhead roads...
. It is situated in the
TrossachsThe Trossachs itself is a small woodland glen in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It lies between Ben A'an to the north and Ben Venue to the south, with Loch Katrine to the west and Loch Achray to the east...
hills, which are often regarded as having some of the most romantic scenery in the
HighlandsThe Scottish Highlands include the rugged and mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east...
.
Ben Ledi is particularly well known through
Walter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet, popular throughout Europe during his time....
's poem
Lady of the LakeThe Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father. Different writers and copyists give her name...
. Supposedly in ancient times,
BeltaneBeltane or Beltaine is the anglicised spelling of Bealtaine or Bealltainn , the Gaelic names for either the month of May or the festival that takes place on the first day of May....
rites were observed on the summit. In 1791 the Rev Doctor James Robertson being minister of the parish at the time, was required to write a description of the parish for the First Statistical Account of Scotland. In his report he mistakenly (due to the similarity to
le dia) took the name Ben Ledi to mean 'hill of god' which suited the purposes of the kirk of the day. The name is in fact a corruption of
Beinn Leitir which translates to 'the Hill of the Slope', which is a very suitable description of the long south shoulder used to access the summit.
A
cairnA cairn is a manmade pile of stones, often in a conical form. They are usually found in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops or near waterways.-Purpose:...
was built on the top in 1887 to commemorate
Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
's
Golden JubileeA Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In the Commonwealth Realms :In the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth Realms, a Golden Jubilee celebration is held in the 50th year of a monarch's reign.- For Queen Elizabeth II :...
. A small lochan, Lochan nan Corp, lies at 655 m above sea level about 1.5 km to the north of the summit.
The name means "the little loch of the dead", and was thought to be named for an accident to a
funeralA funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour. These customs vary widely between cultures, and...
party at which 200 lives were lost. In truth the lochan is on the old coffin road from Glen Finlas to St Bride's chapel close to Loch Lubnaig. The pass is therefore named the Bealach nan Corp - Pass of the Dead - and the lochan is named after the pass. The lochan is not deep enough to reach past your waist nor of sufficient area to accommodate any large funeral party.
The eastern slopes of Ben Ledi are owned by the
Forestry CommissionThe Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
, and form part of the Queen Elizabeth II Forest Park. A constructed path leads from a car park on the
A84 roadThe A84 is a major road in Scotland, United Kingdom. It links the city of Stirling with Lochearnhead, running an approximate .-Road Safety:The A84 between M9 Junction 10 and Lochearnhead has a poor road safety record, according to EuroRAP...
just south of
Loch LubnaigLoch Lubnaig is a small loch near Callander in the Stirling council area, Scotland. It lies in the former county of Perthshire.It is around 5 km long, and has depths of up to 44.5 metres. The loch nestles in the space between Ben Ledi and Ben Vorlich...
to a fence at about 270M where a rough track continues to the summit via the south shoulder, a distance of just over 3 km. An alternative route following Stank Glen leaves the shores of Loch Lubnaig about 1.5 km north of the start of the main route, reaching the summit ridge near Lochan nan Corp. The two routes may be combined to give a circular walk of about 9 km.
In addition to
hikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking have been confirmed in studies...
the Ben is occasionally used as a take-off point for
paraglidingParagliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport. A paraglider is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, whose shape is formed by its suspension lines and the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing.- History :In...
.
The Ben Ledi ridge continues north, dropping down to about 600 m before climbing again to the summit of Ben Vane, a Corbett not to be confused with
Ben VaneBen Vane is a Scottish mountain situated in the southern Highlands. It is one of the Arrochar Alps and stands slightly separate from the other mountains of the group being connected on its western side to the neighbouring Beinn Ìme by a low col at 492 metres...
, a Munro on the west side of Loch Lomond.
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