Ben Lawers

Ben Lawers (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Labhair) is the highest mountain in the Breadalbane region of the Scottish Highlands. It lies north of Loch Tay and is the highest peak of the 'Ben Lawers group', a ridge that includes six other Munros: Beinn Ghlas, Meall Garbh, Meall Corranaich, An Stùc, Meall Greigh and Meall a' Choire Leith. It is also the highest peak in Perthshire, and the tenth highest Munro in Scotland. Ben Lawers was long thought to be over 4,000 feet (1,219 metres) in height, but accurate measurement in the 1870s showed it to be only 3,983 feet (1,214 m). (the figure of 3,983 ft is a conversion from metric - the surveyed height from the main triangulation has always been 3,984 ft on imperial maps published since the 1870s.

Ben Lawers is formed of metamorphic rock, most notably calcareous mica-schists, and lower down, schistose grits. Although only the 11th highest Munro, it is the second highest non-igneous peak after Aonach Beag, which owes its exceptional height to proximity to Ben Nevis (the other high igneous group being the Cairngorms). Ben Lawers stands out by around 100-200 metres from neighbouring massifs as an isolated landmark 30 km east of the main Highlands watershed along or near which comparably high peaks are ranged. This associates with its proximity to the major Caledonide Loch Tay Fault along which kilometric displacements have occurred; adjacent to this fault are other landmark peaks at Ben Vorlich and Beinn a'Ghlo. The summit of Ben Lawers is affected by a pair of conspicuous Rock Slope Failures, providing shelter in their landslipped recesses, havens for wildlife, and large debris masses in the south corrie which if reinstated could restore a pre-historic summit in excess of 4,000 ft.

Ben Lawers lies on the local watershed between the rivers Tay and Lyon. Since the 1950s, water has been captured from the numerous burns on the south face of Ben Lawers and Meall nan Tarmachan as part of the Breadalbane Hydro-Electric Scheme. The water is diverted to the Lochan na Lairige, from where it is piped to drive hydro-electric turbines at Finlarig on the banks of Loch Tay. The level of the Lochan na Lairige was raised by the construction of the 344-metre-long Lawers Dam, a buttress-type dam that is 42 m high.

Due to its high elevation and underlying geology, Ben Lawers is home to an exceptionally rich selection of arctic-alpine plant species and habitats. Since 1964, it has been designated as a National Nature Reserve (NNR).