| Ben Ledi | |
|---|---|
 Ben Ledi seen fromKilmahog | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 879 m (2,884 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 528 m |
| Parent peak | None |
| Listing | Corbett,Marilyn |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Beinn Leitir (Scottish Gaelic) |
| English translation | Hill of the long shoulder |
| Pronunciation | Scottish Gaelic:[peɲˈʎehtʲɪrʲ] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Stirling,Scotland |
| Parent range | Trossachs |
| OS grid | NN562098 |
| Topo map | OSLandranger 57 |
Ben Ledi (Beinn Leitir inScottish Gaelic) is amountain inStirling,Scotland. It is 879 metres (2,884 feet) high, and is therefore classified as aCorbett. It lies about six kilometres (four miles) northwest ofCallander, near the village ofKilmahog. It is situated in theTrossachs, an area often regarded as having some of the most romantic scenery in theHighlands.
Ben Ledi is particularly well known throughWalter Scott's poemLady of the Lake. Supposedly in ancient times,Beltane rites were observed on the summit.[1] There are what is thought to be possible references to these Beltane rights in some of the Gaelic names on the mountain: Creag Ghorn; "Rock of Embers" and Creag Loisgte; "Burned Rock". In 1791 the Rev Doctor James Robertson, being minister of the parish at the time, was required to write a description of the parish for the First Statistical Account of Scotland. In his report he mistakenly (due to the similarity tole dia) took the name Ben Ledi to mean "hill of god" which suited the purposes of the kirk of the day. The name is in fact a corruption ofBeinn Leitir which translates to "the Hill of the Slope", which is a very suitable description of the long south shoulder used to access the summit. Acairn was built on the top in 1887 to commemorateQueen Victoria's jubilee.
A smalllochan, Lochan nan Corp, lies at 655 mabove sea level about 1.5 km to the north of the summit. The name means "the little loch of the dead", and was thought to be named for an accident to afuneral party at which 200 lives were lost.[1] In truth the lochan is on the old coffin road from Glen Finlas to St Bride's chapel close toLoch Lubnaig. The pass is therefore namedBealach nan Corp – the Pass of the Dead – and the lochan is named after the pass.[citation needed]
The eastern slopes of Ben Ledi are owned byForestry and Land Scotland, and form part of theQueen Elizabeth Forest Park. A constructed path leads from a car park on theA84 road just south ofLoch Lubnaig to a fence at about 270 m above sea level, where a rough track continues to the summit via the south shoulder, a distance of just over 3 km. An alternative route following Stank Glen leaves the shores of Loch Lubnaig about 1.5 km north of the start of the main route, reaching the summit ridge near Lochan nan Corp. The two routes may be combined to give a circular walk of about 9 km.
A short distance down to the south-east of the summittrig point, an iron cross commemorates Sergeant Harry Lawrie of theKillinScottish Mountain Rescue team, who died on 1 February 1987 during a rescue operation onBen More nearCrianlarich when the helicopter crashed.[2]
In addition tohiking the Ben is occasionally used as a take-off point forparagliding.
The Ben Ledi ridge continues north, dropping down to about 600 m before climbing again to the summit ofBenvane, a Corbett not to be confused withBen Vane, a Munro on the west side of Loch Lomond.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ben Ledi".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 740.
56°15′32″N4°19′23″W / 56.25886°N 4.32298°W /56.25886; -4.32298
