Ben Venue
| Ben Venue | |||
| Stirlingshire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Ben Venue and Achray Forest | |||
| Range: | Trossachs Hills | ||
| Summit: | 2,392 feet NN477061 56°13’30"N, 4°27’43"W | ||
Ben Venue is a mountain of 2,392 feet in the Trossachs, in the northernmost finger of Stirlingshire, overlooking the northern finger of Loch Lomond at the foot of its western slope.
The name 'Ben Venue' is derived from the Gaelic words A' Bheinn Mheanbh meaning "the miniature mountain".
The summit stand about a mile and a half south-west of the pier at the southern end of Loch Katrine. At the foot of the mountain close to the shore of Loch Katrine is Bealach nam Bò meaning the "pass of the cattle".
Ben Venue is a popular walk and can be accessed from either Ledard farm track at Loch Ard, by way of the Beinn an Fhogharaidh ridge, or from the car park at the head of Loch Achray: both routes are approximately three miles in length. A sign in the forestry warns that the mountain should not be approached or descended directly to or from Loch Katrine, as the slopes on this side are very steep and littered with dangerous cliffs. Several indistinct paths do exist on this side of the hill however.
Ben Venue has two summits a short distance apart. The triangulation pillar on the eastern summit has a height of 2,385 feet above sea level, and this height is often given as the height of Ben Venue as a whole. However the western summit is shown to be slightly higher, 2,392 feet, on the Ordnance Survey's 1:25000 map. From (either) summit on a clear day the view extend to the Firth of Forth, the Clyde and Isle of Arran and the Paps of Jura. Good views can be seen along Loch Katrine, Ben A'an, Ben More, Stob Binnein, Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ben Venue) |