Ben Lui and Beinn a' Chleibh Route Information

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Ben Lui & Beinn a' Chleibh

Quick Facts

This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.

Total Ascent

1400 m

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time

7.5 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

24.08 km

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

You can click on the map name to purchase the map for £6.29 including postage which is one of the cheapest prices we have found.

OS Landranger Maps Required

50	Glen Orchy & Loch Etive

Only £6.29 (£13.49 Laminated) from

A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

Notes

This is the best route to Ben Lui the ascent from Coire Gaothach is steep but not difficult, however, Stob Garbh is difficult when there is ice on the tops.

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

Travel Information

Head to: Tyndrum

From Tyndrum (A82) travel E 2 km to a car park at junction with minor road to Lochan nan Arm at the entrance to Glen Cononish.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 1,400 metres. Allow 7.5 hours to complete this 24.08 km route.

In winter months please check the local snow conditions at sais.gov.uk.

The hillphones service can inform you of stalking activities in the area.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

Route Information

Waypoint Detail

	Start from carpark (not visible from main road)
		NN34362915	Distance	Altitude 190 m

1	Head W on rough road past Dalrigh
		NN33252882	Distance 1.25 km	Altitude 215 m

2	Pass under rail bridge and continue W to Cononish Farm
		NN30112847	Distance 3.38 km	Altitude 287 m

3	Follow track WSW to its termination above Allt an Rund
		NN28162741	Distance 2.31 km	Altitude 365 m

4	Descend to cross river (no bridge) and ascend SW into Coire Gaothach
		NN27202676	Distance 1.20 km	Altitude 700 m

5	Ascend NW onto Stob Garbh, the north ridge of Ben Lui (very icy in winter)
		NN26922699	Distance 0.43 km	Altitude 780 m

6	Follow ridge SW
		NN26552679	Distance 0.43 km	Altitude 947 m

7	Continue S to reach summit of Ben Lui
		NN26622628	Distance 0.89 km	Altitude 1130 m

8	Descend WSW to col linking to east ridge of Beinn a'Chleibh and ascend to summit
		NN25052559	Distance 1.77 km	Altitude 916 m

9	Return E to col
		NN25812592	Distance 0.87 km	Altitude 800 m

10	Follow 800m contour SE to south ridge of Ben Lui
		NN27022516	Distance 1.48 km	Altitude 820 m

11	Cross ridge into Coire Laoigh. Head NNE to join approach road and return
		NN34362915	Distance 10.08 km	Altitude 190 m

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

West Highlands
by MWIS (PDF format)

West Highlands
by Met Office

Ben Lui
by Metcheck

Images of Ben Lui & Beinn a' Chleibh

Looking down on the summit of Beinn a' Chleibh from Ben Lui. The path up Beinn a' Chleibh can be clearly seen.

Image by Craig Robinson

Looking along the summit ridge towards the summit on 5th May 2005

Image by Kevin Rae

Ben Lui towering above Cononish Farm, May 2012

Image by Adam Rixon

Ben Lui as seen from a bus just North West of Crianlarich.

Image by Chris Bowles

Route Area Map

Legend

Munro

Corbett

Graham

English/Welsh Top

Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

Where to Stay

We currently have no
sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

Rating & Reviews

Rating & Reviews

Rated:

from 12 votes

Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating

Written by Sc Joss on 11 Jun 2010:

With two cars it is easily possible to do all 4. we started from the Ben Lui side (did Chleibh first) back towards Dalrigh (although it may be preferable to do the other way for the view). Take trainers to ford the river. Took just over 8 hours for the 4 (bargain!). Due to the dry Spring it wasn't even boggy! An accomplice met me at the Dalrigh end with excellent fish and chips from Tyndrum. Perfect end to a grand day!

Written by Michael Corson on 29 Apr 2007:

Climbed on a perfect April day with not a cloud in the sky. Used two cars and approached from Glen Cononish, which is the best route to see the mountain , then took in Beinn a'Chleibh and continued down to the car park on the A85. This route only took 6hrs including a long lunch stop and I would recommend this rather than the long walk back along the Glen Cononish track.

Written by Archie Mcwatt on 16 Oct 2006:

Thic circuit took me 7 hours start to finish, mainly due to mountain biking it in from Dalrigh to river crossing, which saved a good bit of time, the road was pretty good for my (non suspension) bike, althought the going was a bit bumpy after Cononish farm. The first view I got of Ben Lui was on leaving Dalrigh when the peak was quite prominent poking through a shroud of mist, the next I saw it was about 30 metres from the summit. The walk down to the Col and up to Ben Chleibh was quite straight forward as was the route back to the river crossing. Overall a very memorable and enjoyable day!!

Written by Chris Bowles on 11 Jul 2005:

Great Hill, climbed from Dalrigh up Coire Gaothaich before going on to Beinn a' Chleibh and then returning over Oss and Dhubhcraig. Very long day, about 11 hours, magnificent views, great day if you feel up to it.

Written by Graham Butcher on 12 Mar 2004:

Climbed up Ben Lui's Central Gully on snow & ice, brilliant. To return to Glen Cononish from Beinn a' Chleibh I would recommend dropping down to the bealach & contouring round to the head of the valley, especially with snow & ice on the mountain.

Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.

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