Walking Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Ronald Turnbull
rocky, and is the second most popular hillwalk in this area (personally I prefer it to Ben Lomond, the area's Number One). The straightforward up and down by Gleann Riabhach is good in itself. The upper glen is spectacular, so that if you use the South Ridge ascent, and the Gleann Riabhach path just for the descent, you do miss out a little.
However, Ben Venue does call for a detailed exploration, so an unfrequented ridgeline is here offered for the ascent. Route 2 gives the wider Ben Venue some more of the attention it deserves.
The former start for Ben Venue was along the road to Loch Achray Hotel and up forest tracks behind it. But the Forestry Commission has created a tarmac-free and much nicer route. The twists and turns of this are complicated, but are marked with big wooden signposts.
From the back of the car park, start by the left-hand path for 400 metres to a junction where you turn left. Or else follow the right-hand path and then turn right.
The path, with a blue/green marker, heads downhill towards Ben Venue and crosses duckboard to a road junction. Take the lane to the left (‘Private Road’) for 600 metres, when a path on the left leads across a charming footbridge and up to a forest track. Turn right (signposted for Ben Venue) and after 200 metres turn left up a wide path.
The path rises between tall trees, to the top end of a forest track. Turn up right here, on a well-built path, running up to join another forest road. Turn left, and in 300 metres, as the track bends left towards a bridge, turn up right, again on good path. It emerges to a clear-felled area and a final forest road.
Cross the forest road and continue ahead on the good path, through second growth woodland of self-sown spruce and birch. After 500 metres the path passes into a recently clear felled area; it crosses a small track, which could be taken down left to join the 'final forest road' not far below – a last chance to switch into Route 2.
A tall fence now runs above the well-made path. As the path rounds the spur and turns north into the upper corrie, the fence turns away uphill. Continue by the main path (and eventual descent route) ahead, or else by the untrodden ridge up on your right.
Crianlarich hills and Loch Katrine, from the summit ridge of Ben Venue
Gleann Riabhach path
The path, handsomely reconstructed in 2017, runs up the corrie ahead to a sprawling cairn in a col at 580m. Here turn right on a path that's initially steep and loose but then gets nicer. Just as the path dips into a small col, look out for a side-path turning left, for only this takes you to the actual summit. It winds up among the rocks of the crest to the summit cairn at 729m (NN 474 062). In the next col, the bypass path rejoins, and climbs steeply with a crag above it to the trig point at 727m (NN 477 061). The trig point is in ruins, probably struck by lightning – however it's an even better viewpoint than the true summit.
South ridge
Having emerged from the woodland and clear fell, once past the constraining fence turn back up right onto the ridgeline above. Thus you bypass the very bottom of the ridge, which is a vertical outcrop. Head up the ridgeline: a short rise on steep grass and then hummocky. There's a path for the final rise to the ruined trig point at 727m.
Descent by Gleann Riabhach path
From Ben Venue's ruined trig point (727m), take the worn path that runs down below a crag to the first col. Now keep up right for the true summit (729m) or take the bypass path contouring round to the left. Follow the rejoined path down into a col (580m) with a sprawling cairn. The path continuing up ahead goes to Kinlochard, so turn down left into the corrie, on the well-built new path. It runs down the rocky little valley and through clear fell into the woodland.
All the descent turnings apart from the second one are clearly signposted – after crossing a first forest road and turning left on a lower one, it's the path down right, between two boulders, that lacks a marker.
Having descended to the forest road top, you could instead of turning left (signed 'car park') continue directly downhill past Loch Achray Hotel: slightly shorter, and an easier finish by starlight. Otherwise, follow the signposts to return via the charming footbridge. At the final path junction, take whichever path you didn't use on the outward walk for the last 400 metres to the car park. For those with two cars or a chauffeur, from Achray to Kinlochard via Ben Venue is a popular crossing.
Path repair team descending the hill path to Ben Venue
ROUTE 2
Ben Venue (Achray Horseshoe)
| Start/Finish | Ben Venue car park, Loch Achray NN 505 067 |
| Distance | 15km/9½ miles |
| Total Ascent | 900m/3000ft |
| Time | 6hr |
| Terrain | Grassy hill, tracks and a very rugged descent |
| Max Altitude | Ben Venue 729m |
| Maps | LR 57; Expl 365; Harvey Ben Venue |
This wide horseshoe of Gleann Riabhach turns Ben Venue into a richly varied adventure. There's a peaty ridgeline, with wide views in the moments when you're not stumbling over a tussock, but which suddenly gives way to a surprising high-altitude track and a peculiar building complete with ricketty balcony. After that comes the rocky ascent of Ben Venue itself.
But the real interest is reserved for the descent. From various points on the upper hill you look down on Loch Achray. Attempting to follow your eyeline down towards it from any of them will get you onto very nasty ground with hidden crags. Don't attempt this in mist unless your navigation is very confident. The route-finding would be easier taken uphill – as you can see the crags – but the ruggedness of the heather makes this option unpleasant.
Start along Route 1 to where the signposted path crosses the final forest road (NN 491055). Turn left along the forest road up-valley. It crosses a large stream, and in another 300 metres ends at a turning area. A much rougher path continues ahead, slanting up to a conspicuous little outcrop, where it turns uphill to just below the top of the felled plantation. At a junction, turn back right to reach the very top of the tree stump zone (NN 486 045).
Head steeply up a rocky knoll just above, then up the slope to the minor top Meall Carraidh (NN 485042). Cross rough ground southwest to the derelict fence that marks the ridgeline. Follow this westwards over Beinn an Fhogharaidh, with a few peat hags to work through. ‘Foghar’ is harvesting; the hill is ‘Ogharray’. When a small pool is on the right-hand (north) side of the fence, cross through the fence to find a grassy track just below. This runs easily along the ridgeline. Before Stob an Lochain, it forks: head up right to the cairned summit, and the strange small building on its southern side, a disused fire-watchers' hut.
Beware of the track leaving Stob an Lochain as it spirals, so that you may find yourself returning along your path of arrival. Instead keep north, following a few fence posts over two very minor summits. At the second one, Creag a' Bhealaich, turn down northeast for a rugged ridgeline towards Ben Venue. In the 580m col, you reach a sprawling cairn.
On Ben Venue: looking back up the descent route above Loch Katrine. The route goes up to right of the stream cave, then leftward up the grassy dip to the col on the summit ridge.
Keep ahead on the well-worn Ben