Ben A’an is apparently one of Scotland’s finest wee hills. It is infamously the only hill on which iconic Scottish outdoorsman and mountaineer Tom Weir suffered a serious accident (falling 40 feet while unroped). It is often used in tourist leaflets and adverts for its iconic summit view, and it’s a view I have never experienced, and so on a recent visit to the Trossachs I decided to put that right.
Waking early I decided to slip away while my wife was asleep, figuring I could be back before breakfast. From Callander it’s only 20 or so minutes to the car park, and I arrived to find a group already leaving, having already been up and down. Ben A’an is not a whole days excursion, to drive here for this hill alone would be a long drive for a short walk, but if you are staying in the area or are going to or from another hill then it’s worth the diversion. It’s also popular for wild campers who want to experience a summit sunrise without the commitment of a 10 mile walk in. Unfortunately the local road is a clearway where parking is not permitted and the car park does not permit overnight parking. Sadly Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) employ this tactic at most (if not all) of their pay and display car parks, and while in theory you have the right to roam and to wild wild camp on this summit, without accompanying vehicular access these rights are pretty difficult to enjoy. LLTNP would rather you used their pay to stay facilities and manage the national park much like any other commercial venue which permits entrance on the basis that you are then bound to use their facilities.
Like many people during the pandemic I have all but abandoned using physical money, but I’ve been caught out a few times now at remote car parks where actual cash is required, so if visiting the Trossachs or the Cairngorms I’m now ensuring I have a pile of coins to feed the parking meters. Having fed the money machine I then set off up the path, a series of steps which ascended through some youthful forestry on the lower slopes, giving way to more established woodland as I climbed.
The path rises, crossing a picturesque wooden bridge just below the level where the trees thin out. The hill levels off here, before dropping down into a pleasant natural birch and oak woodland, a nice change from the usual regimented firs, before rising again towards the rocky summit.
As I cheerfully ascended the last section I was met by a dour faced guy who silently stood aside as I passed, a black cloud of an individual who broke the cardinal rule of passing another walker – say hello. I find it extremely peculiar to encounter someone on a remote path, perhaps the only person for miles around, and to go out of your way to ignore them.
From one cloud to another, I followed the path which curves around on itself before arriving at a grey and murky summit. The iconic view which I had never seen remained unseen, and I descended quickly back to car park and back to Callander where breakfast awaited. I guess I’ll have to come back another time for the view. I’m sure it will be well worth the diversion – so long as the weather plays along.
The Airdrie Rambler 
I keep wanting to do Ben A’an but never really go to The Trossachs – only past them! Tom Weir had his only serious mountain injury on Ben A’an I think. He must be less clumsy than me!
With the overcrowding on the Lakes hills now, I’m afraid I’m getting a bit taciturn and only speaking to some walkers. I just get fed up of seeing so many people – I like solitude really. If I’m on a more lonely Scottish mountain I always speak though…