Beinn Ghlas

About Beinn Ghlas

Standing as a high-altitude gateway to the Lawers range, this Munro is frequently traversed on the popular route towards Ben Lawers. Its broad, grassy slopes are crossed by well-engineered paths that mitigate erosion, leading to a summit plateau with commanding views across Loch Tay towards the southern Highlands.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •Derived from the Scottish Gaelic for 'grey hill' or 'green-grey hill,' the name reflects the specific local geology. The mountain is primarily composed of micaceous schist, a rock that catches the light and gives the slopes a distinct silvery-grey appearance compared to the darker peaks nearby.
• •It is one of the most frequently climbed Munros in Scotland, largely because the Ben Lawers car park sits at an elevation of roughly 400 metres. This high starting point significantly reduces the total ascent required to reach the 1,103-metre summit.
• •A well-trodden bypass path contours around the western flank of the hill. It was specifically designed to allow walkers to return to the car park without the need to re-ascend over the summit of Beinn Ghlas when returning from Ben Lawers, though it remains a high-level traverse in its own right.
• •The hill is part of the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve, managed by the National Trust for Scotland. It is internationally significant for its rare arctic-alpine plants, which thrive in the lime-rich soil; hikers are encouraged to stay strictly to the engineered paths to avoid trampling the fragile flora.
• •Beinn Ghlas is perhaps the only mountain in Scotland where walkers are occasionally disappointed to find they have reached a summit, usually because they were hiking with their heads down and hoped they had actually arrived at the top of Ben Lawers.