Ben Nevis

Don't even think about going near the Ben without reading the important Safety Information

Ben Nevis, Beinn Nibheis in Gaelic, or simply The Ben, is the UK's highest mountain at a mighty 1343m. By virtue of its status as the big daddy of Scottish hills and its handy proximity to Fort William, the Ben is very popular and is climbed by many thousands of people every year. It's a shame then that many of them miss out on the most impressive sights the mountain has to offer by ascending the pony track up its western slopes (more commonly known as the tourist path). As its name suggests, this path was built for ponies to deliver supplies to the observatory that once stood at the summit. It climbs from the pub at Achintree House up to the aptly-named half-way lochan and then takes a series of zig-zags up the steep slopes to the summit plateau. To be fair, it probably is the simplest and best way to the top. If you're a pony.

Experienced hill-walkers might crave more of a challenge, in which case they are advised to consider ascending Carn Mor Dearg and crossing the narrow arete to reach Ben Nevis from the North. This requires a head for heights and some scrambling experience but the rewards are spectacular views of the North face of the mountain and its many cliffs and gullies. These offer some of the best winter climbing in the UK and some of the gullies hold snow well into the summer. Tower Ridge is probably the most famous climb here although there are a number of classic routes to be had.

Weather
It should be noted that Ben Nevis attracts cloud like a half-price sale on special brew attract tramps. It's said that the summit is only out of cloud for around 30 days a year so don't get your hopes up for a clear day!

Safety Information
Due to the aforementioned ubiquitous cloud, navigation on the summit plateau can be a little tricky. And what with all the cliffs on three sides of you, mistakes can be fatal (without wanting to sound too dramatic). Mountaineers wanting to summit The Ben should therefore be aware of the comprehensive navigation advice supplied by the Mountaineering Club of Scotland, available here.

In brief, it describes how not to fall (quite literally) into the lethal trap of attempting to decent Five Finger Gully as you descend from the summit.

A summary of this advice follows, however it certainly is not advised to use this as your sole source of research.


 * First walk 150 metres on a bearing of 231 degrees from the summit
 * Then take a course of 282 degrees, which will intercept the tourist track