Ben Ledi

Rising steeply above the Pass of Leny, this popular Corbett serves as a dramatic gateway to the Highlands. The ascent from the south-west, near Brig o' Turk, traverses the quiet slopes of Glen Finglas, leading to a rocky summit ridge with expansive views over Loch Venachar and the Menteith Hills.

• •The name is often translated from the Gaelic Beinn Leathaid, meaning 'Hill of the Slope'. However, a long-standing local tradition suggests it derives from Beinn an t-Sìthein, interpreted as the 'Hill of God' or 'Hill of Light', connected to ancient Beltane fires once lit on the summit to mark the beginning of summer.
• •Near the summit stands a prominent iron cross, erected in 1987 in memory of Sergeant Harry Lawrie, a member of the Killin Mountain Rescue Team who tragically died in a helicopter crash during a rescue mission nearby.
• •The hill sits directly on the Highland Boundary Fault; standing at the trig point, you can clearly see the landscape transition from the flat carse of Stirling and the Lowland plains to the south, to the rugged, snow-capped peaks of the Crianlarich hills to the north.
• •While the eastern path from Loch Lubnaig is the most frequented, the approach from the west via Glen Finglas provides a much more remote experience, passing through part of the Great Trossachs Forest and the historical hunting grounds of Scottish royalty.
• •Despite its modest height, the summit is often the first significant peak to catch the weather moving in from the Atlantic, meaning you can experience a full Scottish winter and a mild spring afternoon in the space of a single lunch break.