It was immortalised by Sir Walter Scott when he described the mountain’s craggy slopes as ‘fragments of an earlier world’ in his poem, The Lady of the Lake.
At 729m, Ben Venue may be small in stature, and dwarfed by its neighbouring giants, but the hill has immense character and beauty.
Its summits grant panoramic vistas across the lochs of Katrine, Achray, and Venachar, with the peaks of Ben A’an, Ben More, and Ben Lomond visible on clear days.
If you’re really lucky, you might even be able to pick out the Isle of Arran, the Paps of Jura, Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument from the top.
Alas, on the day I hiked up to Ben Venue’s twin summits, the weather was somewhat bleak.
I was with The Grampian Club – a mountaineering, climbing and hillwalking club based in Dundee.
Where did we start the walk?
Setting off from the car park on the shores of Loch Achray, we marched through forestry on a series of good paths and crossed a bridge overlooking three spectacular waterfalls.
Soon, the distinctive cone of 461m Ben A’an, another extremely popular wee hill, came into view.
Ben Venue’s summit slopes towered rather forebodingly above us as the path wound its way through Gleann Riabhach.
Our main concerns were snow, ice and wind chill – the forecast told us it would feel like -12C on the summit.
But as most folk had come armed with either crampons or micro spikes – light winter traction spikes – we decided to press on.
Ben Venue takes its name from the Gaelic, meaning ‘miniature mountain’, but it felt pretty big as we began the uphill slog.
What challenges did we face?
Navigating an iced-up waterfall was the first of a number of challenges, with some folk opting to squeeze round it, and others haring straight up it.
A plateau with a large cairn was our first picnic spot, and while we munched sandwiches and poured flasks of steaming hot coffee, the sky cleared – albeit briefly – to reveal stunning views of Loch Katrine.
The cairn marked the transition onto steeper, more rugged terrain.
Reaching the first, knobbly summit was slightly hairy, with a steep, rugged route up a rocky, icy path. Put it this way – I was very glad I was wearing my spikes.
What did we see at summits?
Once at the south eastern top of the hill, we were treated to a glorious sight – rocks sculpted by snow, ice and wind that resembled candyfloss, or cotton wool.
Isn’t nature marvellous?
Again, the views of glistening lochs and distant mountains opened up – but only for a minute.
It was too cold to hang around, so we headed for the north, and second, true, summit, which is only 2m higher.
After we’d taken photos, and had the briefest glimpse of the panorama of peaks below, we made our way back down, stopping in the lee of the hill for a second picnic.
The descent back to the car park is best made by retracing the route of ascent – and so that’s what we did.
What about the demon of Ben Venue?
As we marched, I recalled there’s a legend about a demon who lived in a cave on the slopes of Ben Venue.
I thought briefly about trying to find it, but the conditions were such that it would’ve probably been too risky.
But what of the demon? It’s said he was jealous of the prosperity enjoyed by people who lived in the glen below, and tricked a young girl, Katrine, into falling for him.
This evil fiend, posing as a handsome stranger, lulled Katrine into a deep sleep as she kept watch of a powerful, sacred spring.
He then set about smashing the rocks that held the spring in place.
Its water was unleashed, flooding the glen, and swallowing up homes and farms.
Distraught, Katrine threw herself into the newly formed loch, sinking to join those she loved. From then on, it would be known as Loch Katrine.
Why Ben Venue hike is underrated
Essentially, a hike up Ben Venue – with its crags, legends, famous poet fans, and general awesomeness – is absolutely worth it, no matter the weather.
It’s surely one of the finest mountains in the Trossachs, if not Scotland.
I’d love to return in spring or summer, when the chances of blue skies, magnificent, unbroken vistas, and maybe even a bit of sunshine would make a huge difference.
It’s an easy enough walk to navigate – you start off following blue markers, and then wooden fingerposts, before making your way up and into wilder, unmarked terrain.
With a couple of picnic and photo stops, the nine-mile hike took us just over six hours.
We stopped for a coffee at the Riverside Inn in Callander before making the 60-mile journey back to Dundee.
What’s a Graham?
When it comes to hills, Ben Venue is one of the best-known ‘Grahams’.
For those not in the know, a Graham is a hill between 2,000 and 2,500 feet (762-609.6m) with a drop of at least 150m between each peak and any higher ground.
The Grahams were named by Alan Dawson in memory of the co-creator of the list Fiona Torbet, whose maiden name was Graham.
Fiona was murdered in 1993 while on a hillwalking holiday in the Western Highlands, near Kintail.
Kintail was a favourite place for the 62-year-old, an accomplished walker who had completed all 282 Munros.
She was working on a list of hills between 2,000 and 2,500 feet a year prior to her disappearance.
In the spring of 1994 – nine months after Fiona went missing – a bag containing her documents and cash cards was found in a ditch.
Her body was found in the garden of the B&B at which she had been staying, and her killer was the son of the owners.
- For more information about The Grampian Club, click here.
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