Ben A'an
The hill of Ben A'an in the Scottish Highlands
Highest point
Elevation461 m (1,512 ft)
Coordinates56°14′34″N 4°25′08″W / 56.2427°N 4.4188°W / 56.2427; -4.4188
Naming
English translationSmall Pointed Peak
Language of nameScottish Gaelic
Geography
Parent rangeTrossachs
OS gridNN 502 082
Topo mapOS Landranger 57

Ben A'an is a hill in the Trossachs in Scotland. The pointed peak of its west top (454 m/1491 ft[1]) resembles a small mountain.

Location

Ben A'an is situated in the Trossachs area of the highlands north of Glasgow, rising above Loch Katrine and Loch Achray. The summit area is largely treeless and comprises several rock outcrops and crags, its highest point being a rounded summit (461 m/1512 ft[1]), unlike its lower west top.

Ascent

HIkers near Ben A'an's summit

The normal route is from the pay and display car park of "Ben An" (sic) by the shore of Loch Achray. From there the signed path heads straight uphill in a north-northeasterly direction before picking up the course of a burn, the Allt Inneir, and heading north-northwest up to a low saddle (246 m). The path crosses the saddle heading northwest before picking up the course of another burn, the Allt na Cailliche, and following it steeply uphill below the crags of Ben A'an. Close to the source of the burn the path swings westwards and behind the west top of the hill onto a col, from which it is a short climb to the summit of the west top which is the destination for most hikers. There is no obvious path to the main summit.[1]

Views

Even though Ben A’an is not particularly high, it offers panoramic views of the surrounding lochs, glens, straths and mountains, including Loch Katrine, Loch Achray, Ben Venue and even as far as the Arrochar Alps on the western shore of Loch Lomond.

Name

The hill in a James Valentine picture

The name "Ben A’an" is an erroneous Anglicization by Sir Walter Scott. Its original name is uncertain, but it has been suggested that it may have been Am Binnean which means "the pinnacle",[2] although some sites cite its meaning as "the small pointed peak".[3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben A'an.
  1. 1 2 3 Ordnance Survey map, 1@25,000 scale Explorer series, OL 46, The Trossachs, 2015.
  2. ↑ Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park brochure What's in a name?, 2014.
  3. ↑ Climb to stunning views at Ben A'an at scotland.forestry.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
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