A lovely pair of hills (mountains if we are being honest) and MOST DEFINATELY best tackled during a dry spell. I had not been up a munro for a month or so and it was hell on the knees coming back down but the views were worth it.

Skip to summary

Stage 1: Parking and the ascent

Coming from the south (ie from Loch Lomond way) the turning to the carpark is just after the more obvious turning to the café in an old church building. The car park is not huge, therefore I suggest getting there early to avoid missing out. That said, we got there at 11 and managed to squeeze in.

Set off, cross the river (here you could turn left for a quick stop at the café before going up) and turn right / straight on, heading towards the hills. You will cross another bridge and here should bear right, not take the straight on path. The right hand path curves you around, near the river then gently ascends through some beautiful woodland.

I imagine this section could be rather boggy.

In our case, we continued straight on, climbed gently and joined a pine forest. We realised we had gone wrong but instead of turning back, we chose a looping detour through the woods. It was pretty but likely added around 3-4 km to our day.

after we re-joined the main path, we made good time to the summit of Beinn Dubchraig. It was a long slog up the hill but walking beside the river and waterfalls made it quite interesting and as we got higher up the views started to open up all around us which kept us going. As the top reaches a plateau, you will find a small cairn and a path off to the left. Take this to reach the summit.

Stage 2: Picnic and move to Ben Oss

We stopped at the top for a picnic then made our way back to the T-junction and turned left to work our way along, past some lochans, down a steep sided hill and finally pulling our way up the final ascent to Ben Oss.

The views of Ben Lui are spectacular. It could be another great choice for a picnic or rest spot. On the day we went, it was incredibly windy and we decided to touch the cairn and head straight back down again. There are no sections that required scrambling, and, although we had hiking poles, they would not have been necessary for someone with good fitness and balance.

Stage 3: return to car

The return route was simple as it was back the way we had come. This time however, we went back the ‘correct’ way (ie the route walk highlands recommends) and it took us through some beautiful native woodland with Scots pine and early spring bracken.

note: It was clearly an area that was prone to being boggy. There were planks balanced across what would have been no doubt very boggy sections in wetter weather. It would also likely be terrible for midges!

We were lucky with the weather and the day. A wonderful pair of Munros, and I would even come back again for a longer stop on Ben Oss or to loop and include Ben Lui and Beinn a’ Chleibh.

Summary

A long, mostly gentle climb with an easy to follow path. There are no sheer drops nor sections which would require scrambling. These two could be tackled by a beginner just getting into their munro bagging journey. Some epic views, and more than likely a slog through a bog: Perfect summary of a Scottish hike!