Loch Lomond & The Trossachs
Ben A'an (454m) — Parking
Ben A'an Car Park · Grid ref NN 508 070 · FK17 8HY · £2 up to 1 hour, £5 all day, £14 minibus or coach all day. Coins, card or RingGo; Blue Badge holders park free; annual passes available — forestryandland.gov.scot Ben A'an visitor information, read 6 Sep 2026
Quick facts
- Grid reference
- NN 508 070
- Postcode (satnav)
- FK17 8HY
- Spaces
- Roughly 40 cars in the surfaced bays. It is the only legitimate parking for the hill.
- Cost
- £2 up to 1 hour, £5 all day, £14 minibus or coach all day. Coins, card or RingGo; Blue Badge holders park free; annual passes available — forestryandland.gov.scot Ben A'an visitor information, read 6 Sep 2026
- Surface
- tarmac
- Drive from Glasgow
- 1h 15m
- Drive from Edinburgh
- 1h 30m
From the car park
The car park sits on the A821 along the north shore of Loch Achray, about 300 metres east of the Loch Katrine turning. The path leaves from the back of the car park, crosses a small bridge and climbs almost immediately through forestry before breaking out onto the open hillside.
The walk
Around 3.7km return, typically an hour and a half to two hours (seelochlomond.co.uk; other route sources put it just under 5km — the operator publishes no distance, and no source we could find publishes an ascent figure). The path was substantially rebuilt in recent years and much of the climb is now effectively stone steps, which makes it durable rather than easy: it is steep and sustained from very near the start. The summit is a small rocky top with a genuinely disproportionate view down Loch Katrine.
Busy times
Weekends and school holidays fill the car park early — this is one of the most-walked short hills in central Scotland and it is within 75 minutes of Glasgow. Weekday mornings and the shoulder months are a different hill entirely.
Getting here without a car
Awkward. There is no year-round scheduled service passing the car park; the seasonal Trossachs Trundler and Callander connections have varied year to year, so check Traveline Scotland for the current season rather than relying on a timetable quoted anywhere else.
Winter access
The A821 is generally kept open but is exposed and can be icy. The rebuilt stone path holds snow and ice in patches well after the road has cleared, and the final rocky section is genuinely slippery when frozen — this is a short hill that still justifies microspikes in hard conditions.
Overflow parking
There is none, and the A821 verges either side are not it — this is a fast single-carriageway road through the Trossachs and verge parking here is both an obstruction and a recurring local complaint. If the car park is full, drive on to Loch Katrine or Brig o’ Turk and come back later rather than adding to the row.
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 06:31
- Sunset
- 20:02
- Civil dawn
- 05:52
- Civil dusk
- 20:41
NOAA Solar Calculator · 6 September 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to park at Ben A'an?
- Forestry and Land Scotland charge £2 for up to an hour, £5 for all day, and £14 all day for a minibus or coach. You can pay by coins, card or RingGo, Blue Badge holders park free, and annual passes are available. Figures read off the FLS visitor information page on 6 September 2026.
- How long does Ben A'an take?
- Most people take an hour and a half to two hours for the return trip of roughly 3.7km. It is short but steep almost throughout, so it takes longer than the distance suggests.
- Is Ben A'an a Munro?
- No — and it is not a Corbett, Graham, Donald or Marilyn either. At 454m with far less drop than any of those lists require, it appears on none of them. The classified hill behind it is Meall Gainmheich at 566m, 1.5km to the north-east.
- Can you park on the road at Ben A'an?
- No. The A821 verges are not overflow parking — the road is fast and narrow through the Trossachs, and verge parking here obstructs it. If the car park is full, go elsewhere and come back.
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