Ben Lawers 7 Traverse

bootsandbanter

Jul 30

8 min read

Seven Munros, one new friend and Scotland's glittering mountains

📍Route: Ben Lawers Hotel car park → Meall Greigh → Meall Garbh → An Stuc → Creag an Fhithich → Ben Lawers → Beinn Ghlas → Meall Corranaich → Meall a' Choire Leith → Ben Lawers Dam

📏Distance: 28.65 km

⬆️Ascent: 2311 m

⌛Time: 10 hours 45 minutes

📅 23 July 2026

Weather: Hours of clag with damp air soaking everything despite no rain, followed by glorious sunshine

Mood: Curious, sociable, reassured, fascinated, exhausted, grateful.

Time To Step It Up & Meeting Nigel

The clag on the other side was coming thick and fast

After bagging an "easy" Munro, Meall nan Tarmachan, the day before, it was time to see what all the fuss was about. I thought I'd step things up a little, only a little mind you.😆

The plan was the famous Ben Lawers 7 Traverse, taking in 7 Munros and 1 Munro Top. Looking back now, with 28.6 km and 2,311 m of ascent in my legs, "little" wasn't quite the right word. It was a proper shift.

I parked at the Ben Lawers Hotel around 7:30 am. As I was transferring half my belongings into my backpack, another car pulled in. We exchanged the usual mountain questions: "Where are you heading today?" He was planning the first 3 Munros, I was aiming for all 7. He set off while I was still faffing about and eating my gourmet breakfast...a BelVita Bake. 😄

Not long afterwards he waited for me where the path leaves the road and we decided to do the first 3 together. His name was Nigel. That simple decision we both made completely changed the day.

4 1/2 Hours Of Non-Stop Conversation

From the moment we started walking, the conversation never stopped.

For the next four and a half hours we chatted almost continuously. We covered favourite Lake District summits, memorable routes, our hobbies outside the mountains and pretty much everything in between.

Nigel has completed 3 full rounds of the Wainwrights, which I found hugely impressive. Having completed one myself, I know how much time and commitment that represents. It was brilliant swapping stories about places we both knew and loved. Sometimes you meet someone and conversation just flows effortlessly.

This was one of those days.

Lost Inside The Cloud

The weather forecast promised sunshine. The mountains had other ideas. Almost as soon as we gained height we entered thick clag, and I had a feeling we would be spending most of the day inside it.

I've had enough days like that in the Lake District to know the signs. The first climb felt relentless and never ending. Soon enough the damp cloud started soaking through my clothes. I get cold very easily. Jacket on. Hood up. On we went.

There is something strange about walking in thick clag for hours. You completely lose any sense of scale. You can't judge how steep the mountain is or how much climbing is left because you simply can't see anything. In a weird way it hides the mountain from you.

If it hadn't been for Nigel and our constant chatter, I think I would have found those first few hours much tougher mentally. He agreed with that conclusion.

Technology 0, Conversation 1

We celebrated reaching the first summit Meall Greigh, although if you had blindfolded me and dropped me there I honestly couldn't have told you where I was, could've been Scotland, Wales or Lake District. It reminded me so much of some of my days in the Lake District though.

At one point we became so engrossed in conversation that we wandered well off the path. Which is slightly embarrassing considering I was carrying enough technology to navigate a spaceship. My GPS kept beeping because I had created loads of waypoints throughout the route, as I thought it would be difficult to navigate (it is not, very straightforward paths!). The problem? When you reach a waypoint the device uses exactly the same beep to notify you when you leave the route. 😂 I had become so used to hearing it that I completely stopped paying attention.

Eventually I looked down and said to Nigel, "Oh dear, we are well off the path!"

So up we climbed across a steep grassy slope in thick cloud until we found it again.

Then I checked where Munro number two actually was...Behind us!!! 🤣

We looked at each other and nodded - we are going back. You can't exactly leave a Munro unticked because you've been chatting too much. Meall Garbh done.

An Stuc

Before coming to Scotland there was one mountain on this route I had thought about more than the others.

An Stuc.

After the recent tragedy there I watched videos of the scramble, read trip reports and probably built it into something much bigger in my head than it really was.

Standing below it in the cloud, I couldn't even judge how steep it actually was.

As we climbed something magical happened. The cloud started lifting. The scramble itself was short. Yes, you need your hands in places and you need to pay attention, but honestly my heart never skipped a beat like I thought it might. One thing I would say though. Stay on the path. It may look steeper than the grassy slopes beside it, but the path is there for a reason. The grass was soaking wet from hours inside the cloud. The rocky path remained surprisingly dry. Sometimes the obvious line really is the safest one.

Earlier I'd looked down and realised the bottom half of my trousers and my trail shoes were soaked, not from rain, but simply from brushing against wet grass hidden inside the cloud.

Goodbye Nigel...Hello Sunshine

At the bottom of An Stuc we said our goodbyes. Almost on cue, the cloud lifted. Completely!

It felt funny saying goodbye to someone I'd only met that morning. Four and a half hours earlier we had been complete strangers in a car park. Now it felt like we'd known each other much longer. Sometimes the mountains introduce you to exactly the right people.

Scotland's Glitter

Glorious skies and An Stuc, plus the first 2 Munros in front. On Ben Lawers

Ben Lawers was a completely different experience. No wind. Not even a breath. At the top! After hours of jackets and damp cloud, I sat down, took my jacket off, got my sandwich out and stayed there for at least half an hour.

Of course another conversation started.😁 With a local "seasoned" Munroist. I genuinely wasn't in any rush that day. One thing I love about solo hiking is hearing other people's stories.

While sitting there, one thought kept going through my head. What are these rocks made of? Everything sparkled. The lower half of my trousers and my trail shoes looked like someone had covered them in glitter. I'd never seen anything like it. Every loose stone shimmered in the sunshine. Later I discovered why. Ben Lawers is rich in mica schist, a metamorphic rock packed with tiny mica crystals that catch and reflect the sunlight. Nature's own glitter.

I found that absolutely fascinating.

The Climb That Nearly Broke Me

Dropped all the way down from Beinn Ghlas and about to ascend Meall Corranaich. Hard going in hot weather.

Next up was Beinn Ghlas, followed by a full descent into the valley before climbing all the way back up to Munro number 6 for the day.

Now that was a killer. The sun had finally come out properly and, after spending most of the morning in cool cloud, it suddenly felt much harder. Somewhere around halfway up I met a dad and his 8-year-old son. Yes...another conversation! 😂 I must have stood there for 20 minutes chatting. To be honest, I wasn't feeling pressed for time. Eventually I dragged myself to the summit, very glad to get that climb behind me. Meall Corranaich done.

There was no one else there by then, the wind had returned, so the jacket went straight back on. One Munro left.

The Bog That Wasn't

On Meall a' Choire Leith looking at the traverse. It is a long way, but worth especially with views

Reached the final one Meall a' Choire Leith and looked back at the expansive views - I could see all the ground I had covered so far. Spectacular views. You feel small amongst those mountains.

Earlier, while sitting on Ben Lawers, the seasoned Munro walker had warned me about the boggy ground after the final Munro. I'd even got my trekking poles ready in anticipation. Those 3 kilometres must be an absolute nightmare in wet conditions and I can completely understand how they've earned such a reputation. Somehow, though, I got lucky. Everything was bone dry! I walked straight across without any issues, but I could easily imagine that section becoming a proper peat-filled battle after heavy rain.

The Rescue Mission

At the Lochan na Lairige (Ben Lawers dam) at the end of the day

The only challenge left wasn't another climb, it was getting back to my car.

My plan had always been to finish beside Ben Lawers Dam and phone Saltire Taxis to take me back to the Ben Lawers Hotel. There was just one problem...no phone signal. I started walking along the road beside the dam, trying not to think about the alternative.

Walking back wasn't really an option. That would have meant another 14.5 km (estimated 3.5 hours) after everything I'd already done. My future suddenly looked rather bleak. 😂 About halfway along the dam my phone finally found one glorious bar of signal. Relief! I immediately rang Saltire Taxis and Rob answered. It was already around 6:30 pm, but without hesitation he said, "I'll come straight away."

About fifteen minutes later he pulled into the passing place where I was waiting. Absolute legend. He genuinely saved me from a very long and very unwanted extra walk. Even the taxi ride back ended exactly like the rest of the day, chatting all the way.

One thing that's really stood out during my time in Scotland is just how friendly everyone has been.

🔍 Final Thoughts

When I look back on this day, I don't just remember 7 Munros. I remember spending 4 1/2 hours walking through thick cloud with Nigel, chatting as though we'd known each other for years.

I remember building An Stuc up in my mind beforehand, only to find it far less intimidating than I'd imagined. I remember sitting on Ben Lawers, fascinated by mountains that literally sparkle thanks to tiny mica crystals hidden in the rock. I remember stopping far more often than usual, not because I was tired, but because every conversation was worth having.

The mountains made this day memorable, but the people made it unforgettable. From Nigel, to the walkers I met along the way, to Rob coming to my rescue at the end, Scotland has shown me that it's not just the landscapes that leave an impression, it's the people you meet among them. 😊