The Lawers Massif

The Ben Lawers massif/range includes seven Munros in Perthshire that are linked by a twisting ridge 25 km long.

The geographical concentration of Munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000 ft in height) and the relative ease of access make this an extremely popular area for hill walking.

The Ben Lawers twisting ridge only once falls below 800 metres - a fine high level climb that can be tackled in one expedition or in manageable chunks if you prefer easier hill days.

On the south side of the range lie Ben Ghlas, Ben Lawers, An Stuc, Meall Garbh, Meall Greigh with Meall Corranaich and Meall a' Choire Leith located to the north.

At 3,983 ft (1214 m) Ben Lawers is the highest mountain in Perthshire and the southern Highlands, and the ninth highest in Scotland. Translated from the Gaelic the name means `loud mountain`(from the sound of the Lawers Burn) or `hoof shaped mountain`.

Early mapmakers estimated the height of Ben Lawers to exceed 4,000 ft (1,220 m). However in 1852 it was demoted to its current height. One local was so outraged that he built a 20 ft (6 m) summit cairn to restore the mountain to the magical 4000ft. This unnatural `folly` has long since collapsed.

Over 3,000 hectares of the southern slopes of the Lawers range have been designated as a National Nature Reserve and are in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The area has a unique range of arctic-alpine plants unrivalled in Britain. Visit the National Trust for Scotland Visitor Centre (open May to September) for further information and details of guided walks.

The large car park at the visitor centre is open throughout the year and a good starting point for the five Munros on the south side of the range. For the northerly Munros take the single track road north from the car park, pass Lochan na Lairige and look out for a large cairn at the road side which marks the usual start point.