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The Loch Sloy dam and its reservoir seen from the grassy slopes of Ben Vane, a steep craggy hillside rising beyond.
Loch Lomond and the Arrochar Alps

Ben Vane

A Munro of 916 metres, number 280 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Ben Vane is a steep, rocky little mountain in the Arrochar Alps, in Argyll and Bute.

It is the smallest of the Arrochar Munros, and the third lowest of all 282, but one of the steepest.

Three other Munros stand around it. Beinn Ime is about two and a half kilometres to the south-west, and Beinn Narnain and Ben Vorlich are each about three kilometres away, to the south and the north-east.

Loch Sloy is close by. Its dam and reservoir belong to SSE Renewables, whose Sloy power station is the largest conventional hydro station the company has.

The start
Inveruglas, on the A82 beside Loch Lomond. Confirm the start and the route in the reading below.
The dam
The Sloy power station, dam and reservoir are SSE Renewables'.
Under snow
The avalanche service forecasts six other areas, not this hill. No forecast does not mean no risk under snow.
Summit
Grid reference NN 277 098
Car park
Inveruglas, on the A82, postcode G83 7DP. It is a private car park, not one of Argyll and Bute Council's.
Bus
There is a Citylink bus stop at Inveruglas. Check the stop and the times with Citylink.
Toilets and food
The park authority lists a café, toilets and a picnic area at Inveruglas, but its opening hours for them are undated, so do not count on them being open.
On the hill today
1° to 5°Drizzle on the summit, 916 m. Feels like −2° in the wind.

West wind to 12 mph, gusting 26
Rain, about 3 mm
Light from 7.52am to 6.17pm, ten hours

Sat 17Mostly clear−2° to 4° on top · 6 mph, gusts 16
Sun 18Mostly clear−2° to 4° on top · 6 mph, gusts 12
Mon 19Drizzle−4° to 6° on top · 9 mph, gusts 19

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: West Highlands forecast, Ben Vane.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Photographs by Andrés Falcone and David nixon, via Google

Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 277 098
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from Ben Vane yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

Tell the next person

Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Beinn Ime, Ben Vorlich, Beinn Narnain, Ben Lomond. Checked on 9 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority's, Argyll and Bute Council's and SSE Renewables'; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.