Ben Lawers Mountain

Address: Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve, near Loch Tay, Perthshire, Scotland

Website: https://www.nature.scot/enjoying-outdoors/scotlands-national-nature-reserves/ben-lawers-nnr

Hours: Open access (no formal opening hours)

Admission: Free

Ben Lawers is a mountain in central Scotland, a Munro with a summit elevation of 1,214 metres. It is well known for both hillwalking and its important montane plant communities.

Walkers use marked routes to reach the summit and adjoining ridges; the summit affords wide views across Loch Tay and the surrounding Highlands. The mountain is the core of a designated nature reserve that was established to protect rare upland flora and to support ecological research and management.

Historically the area has been used for grazing and estate land management, and later conservation measures established the reserve to conserve its specialised alpine and subalpine habitats. The site continues to combine outdoor recreation with active habitat protection.

Ben Lawers sits on the north side of Loch Tay in Perthshire, in the Scottish Highlands, and is accessible from local roads and small settlements around the loch.

• Height and classification: Classified as a Munro with a summit height of 1,214 metres, making it one of Scotland’s higher mountains and a regular objective for hillwalkers.
• Conservation value: The slopes are protected for their montane plant communities, with several rare alpine and arctic-alpine species present, so much of the area is managed for conservation as well as recreation.

What to See#

• Summit: The main summit of Ben Lawers, reached by popular hillwalking routes and offering panoramic views across Loch Tay and surrounding Highland terrain.
• Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve: A designated national nature reserve on the mountain slopes that protects a range of montane and arctic-alpine plant communities and supports scientific study of upland flora.

Ben Lawers NNR is accessed from the A827 beside Loch Tay. From Killin (northwest) or by the main A9/A85 corridors, follow signs for Ben Lawers car parks and the visitor information point near the country road turning to the reserve.

• Start from the National Trust for Scotland car park at the end of Glen Lyon road and follow marked paths up grassy slopes - navigation can be difficult in fog.
• Early summer (June) brings alpine flowers and fewer midges than July-August.
• Carry a OS map (or offline GPS) and be prepared for quick weather changes; route-finding above the treeline requires care.