nears the Stank Burn gorge the track doubles back left, but take the path ahead. It rises, fairly rough, above the river gorge, to a higher bend in the same track. Again take the path uphill above the river. After a slightly longer ascent, you meet that track for the third time. Cross it to where the path continues slightly to the right. Less steeply now, it leads you up to the beginning of the Stank Glen's hanging valley. The dirt track met here is actually a different one, heading north above Loch Lubnaig. The Ardnandave Route 9 turns off here.
The path from the Stank Glen rises up the steep side of Ben Ledi
There are two well-made paths up the Stank Glen, one on either side of the stream. The one directly ahead, running to left of the stream, is the more obvious. They rejoin after 1km, and the combined path climbs steeply up to the left (southwest) to a stile at the 450m contour.
The made path ends here, and the way continues as a rough peaty trod. It keeps to left of the main stream all the way up the slope. At the top the path bends right, past a useful spring, to reach Bealach nan Corp on the main ridge north of Ben Ledi. It's said that a coffin party stopped to rest on the frozen Lochan nan Corp 400 metres to the north; as the ice cracked open the bearers joined the corpse on his journey to the afterlife.
Descending north off Ben Ledi summit; Benvane (Route 6) and Crianlarich hills ahead
A grassy path follows old fenceposts up to Ledi's north top at 852m, a good stopping point short of the busy summit. The last ridge-section, although comfortably wide, is steep on both sides and has an airy feel. A trig point marks Ben Ledi summit.
Descent The path down Ben Ledi's southeast ridge is well trodden and clear. It sets off past a memorial cross mounted on a rocky outcrop. After a sharp drop, it rises slightly over Meall Odhar (815m) and then descends towards a broad peaty shoulder at 550m.
As soon as the ridge levels off, the path turns sharply down left, slanting down northwards with views along Loch Lubnaig, and soon with craggy ground above. At 450m is a stile, after which the path is well rebuilt and smooth, but still quite steep. At 220m it crosses a forest road, with blue waymarkers, and descends through plantations to the bridge over Garbh Uisge.
DESCENT BY STANK GLEN
This route has been taken anticlockwise so as to have the steepest ground uphill; and also because the views up the Stank Glen are rocky, while looking down it is depressing woodpulp plantations. However, the descent by Stank Glen is straightforward – apart from the turn-off from the ridge into the corrie. After the slightly undulating summit ridge, the path drops quite steeply half-left down to Bealach nan Corp, which is the first point where there is rising ground ahead. The path turning off to the right here becomes clear only once you reach the top of the steep ground. If you reach Lochan nan Corp, a substantial pool 100 metres wide, then you have overshot and must return south for 400 metres.
ROUTE 9
Ardnandave Hill to Ben Ledi
| Start/Finish | Track end of Strathyre Forest Cabins NN 586 091 |
| Distance | 13km/8 miles |
| Total Ascent | 850m/2900ft |
| Time | 5½hr |
| Terrain | Rough hillsides and moorland |
| Max Altitude | Ben Ledi 879m |
| Maps | LR 57; Expl 365; Harvey Ben Ledi |
A tough, strength-sapping route, quite countrified and wild and inhabited by red deer, which gives great views of Loch Lubnaig and a whole new way of looking at Ben Ledi.
Start as for Route 8 (note parking problems at Garbh Uisge bridge). Follow it up to the lip of Stank Glen's hanging valley.
At this final forest road, don't take the waymarked path opposite, but turn right on the dirt track across the stream. Ignore the second built path turning up left beside the stream, and continue on the smooth track for 200 metres. As it starts to descend, double back left up a grassed-over track. It slants up the corrie side to emerge from the trees onto slopes of long grass and rushes.
Head up right, towards the skyline ridge overlooking Loch Lubnaig. Follow it up northwards, with the vegetation gradually getting less heathery and hampering. The ridgeline widens, and bends round left to the two hummocks of Ardnandave Hill.
A short sharp drop leads to a wide, wet col. Head west across two grassy hummocks, to join an old fenceline. Turn left along this, with a small peaty path. In 500 metres it leads to Bioran na Circe. ‘The Hen's Little Pointed Stick’ – probably not indicating that the poultry uses a walking pole, but suggesting, untruthfully, that the hill is a pointy one. The path bypasses to left of the small summit hump. The path drops to pass Lochan nan Corp, and then crosses a gentle grassy hump to Bealach nan Corp.
Here the path from Stank Glen joins from the left. The path and old fenceposts lead up south onto Ben Ledi's summit ridge, which is followed to the summit trig point.
Descend by the southeast ridge, as on Route 8 – it also describes the descent by Stank Glen if you prefer that.
Ardnandave Hill, across Loch Lubnaig
ROUTE 10
The Whole Kilmahog: Lowland to Highland
| Start/Finish | Kilmahog car parks NN 608 082 |
| Distance | 10.5km/6½ miles |
| Total Ascent | 170m/600ft |
| Time | 3hr |
| Terrain | Dirt track and paths |
| Max Altitude | Bochastle Hill 240m |
| Maps | LR 57; Expl 365; Harvey Ben Ledi |
The Highland Line is defined by geology. The rocks change suddenly from brown Lowland sediments to the tough grey schist. Kilmahog, no doubt to its great disappointment, is outside the Highlands by just a few hundred metres.
But this isn't merely a walk to the Highlands and back (a feat that could also be achieved by walking the A85 to the 40mph sign at the north edge of the village…) Clear-felling has given the timber track a fine outlook up Loch Lubnaig. And the walk back through birchwoods is a riverside delight, more especially when heavy rains have made the Garbh Uisge noisy enough to drown out the traffic on the main road opposite.
The walk intersects both of the eastern paths up Ben Ledi, and can be used as a preamble to it when the Garbh Uisge car park is full up.
Start from the National Park's Kilmahog car park on the east side of the A821 (or from the Forestry Commission one above the road 200 metres into the walk). Cross to the west side, where the Route 7 cycle path continues ahead – the return part of this walk. For now, turn left on a fenced path that turns up away from the road into a car park. At the far end of this, a dirt path rises to join a forest road.
Follow this as it zigzags uphill. As it does so, it passes a roadstone quarry, which exposes the lumpy puddingstone