The Corbenic Wednesday Hillwalking Group ascended Ben Lawers today. Ben Lawers is the highest mountain in Perthshire, and the 10th highest in Scotland.

Although only 11.4km, the walk did involve 837m of ascent and was completed in under four and a half hours.

The group have been developing their fitness over the summer to make the walk possible in the available time. It is a measure of progress that only the fittest staff can keep pace.

At the summit, a seasoned hill walker name Robert asked if we had been up Carn Liath a fortnight past? We had. He too had been on the Beinn A’ Ghlo hills and had met a walker who had seen us. Having not seen us, he did wonder which descent route we had taken. He was impressed with the answer. It felt like the group had arrived as respected hillwalkers!

The Wednesday Group is highly experienced in hill terrain. The group members include both residents and Day Service participants from Corbenic. There are also support staff. The group leader has Mountain Leader Qualifications, over a decade of Duke of Edinburgh expedition supervision experience. Notwithstanding this, when other walkers come across the group, it is quickly evident that we have non-verbal, autistic adults with additional support needs.

It is heartening that so many fellow walkers on the hill are supportive, if a little surprised. Perhaps they are curious? Our group probably does not fit their expectation of mountaineers!

There may also be some level of concern. This is understandable. Mountain walking is both rewarding and hazardous. Perhaps they assume we have appeared there on a whim, without preparation or experience?

The team have achieved 21 Munro ascents, on 16 unique Scottish Munros. Walks have occurred in 63 distinct locations across just over two years. Over that time, dynamic risk assessment has frequently meant that Plan B or Plan C is enacted. Only the week before Ben Lawers, the group had turned back before the summit of an easier peak. Why? One of the group was not feeling well. In such cases retreat is preferable. The mountains will be there another day.

Progress over time

To understand the journey to summit, it is instructive to see the group’s progress over time. The amount of ascent has increased over time, with the Ben Lawers ascent of 837m being the most to date. The composition of the group has changed over time too. In early 2026, new additions required training up. With the group size now outstripping transport capacity, a new Thursday group has been formed. This enabled the Wednesday Group to be more adventurous again.

Despite the many variables constraining walks, progress has been achieved. (A Mann Kendall test suggest the progress is statistically significant with a p value of 0.042).

Future plans

The walking will continue over the winter but at lower altitudes as befits the weather. The groups will discover new locations and have new adventures. By varying distance and terrain difficulty, the aim is to maintain and perhaps improve fitness within the group. A bigger challenge may be to find staff who can keep up!