About Me

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Hello! My name is Keith Gault and I've been tramping the hills of the UK and further afield for over 40 years now. This blog records some recent hill days undertaken either on my own, with friends, or with clients under my guided hillwalking Company: Hillways (www.hillways.co.uk). I hope you enjoy my diary; please feel free to comment on any of the walks. I will respond to any direct questions.

Sunday 28 December 2014

Ben Ledi



Ben Ledi at Dawn!
Beautiful winter conditions just after Christmas were just crying out for a winter hill close to home.

Loch Lubnaig & Strathyre
The obvious candidate was Ben Ledi, that shapely cone that rises above Callander and which is clearly seen from much of the Forth Valley.  Clear, if icy, conditions helped deliver the perfect winter hill day.  An upgraded path leads up from the Pass of Leny, through the deforested slopes and out on to the open hill at 600m on the S ridge of the hill.

Strathyre
Sharing the hill - and the sunshine - with quite a few others and a couple of microlights, the snow was soft enough not to require crampons or ice axe.  Just!

Across the Forth Valley
As you would expect, the views in all directions were simply stunning and lead as far as the Isle of Arran and the Pentland Hills!  The summit, unsurprisingly, was quite crowded: Ben Ledi (879m; hill of the gentle slope).

Summit Ridge
The spine of the hill leads north to the head of the Stank Glen where an excellent path leads all the way down through the heather and trees before intercepting the track that follows the old railway line directly back to the car park.

West From the Summit
A quality day with which to see out the year!

Check out my plans for this winter at:  http://www.hillways.co.uk/