Climbing Ben Nevis

Climbing Ben Nevis is not a feat that should be taken lightly!

Whilst it is not particularly high (in global terms), the fact that it can be walked easily in a day tends to give people the impression that it is simply a gentle stroll to the top and back.  It is not a gentle stroll.  The walk up the main route, whilst extremely popular with visitors from around the world is quite relentless.  Just when you think you are nearing the summit the trail goes on and on!

The main path up Ben Nevis starts officially at the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre on the banks of the River Nevis in Glen Nevis.  From there it is a short walk over a footbridge and around the side of a field to the rocky path that leads to the summit.

From there, the path leads at a relatively gentle incline around the side of Meall an t-Suidhe until you see the Halfway Lochan (Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe).  The track then gets steeper and joins the path that passes the CIC hut which is beneath the North Face of Ben Nevis.

Crossing the Red Burn is commonly thought of as the half-way point of the ascent, and from there the path gets steeper as it begins to zig-zag up Ben Nevis itself.  this part of the route is the steepest and most difficult, as the path is rocky and at times quite slippery with loose rocks under foot.  As you climb higher, the route becomes more exposed and there’s nowhere to hide if the weather closes in.

As the zig-zags begin to peter out the incline is less severe, but it is here where even in summer you can still encounter a large snow field which is difficult to negotiate.  Once past this you will begin to see your final destination, the summit.  This is not without peril, however, as you will pass very close to the North Face of Ben Nevis, which is a near vertical drop of many hundreds of metres!

The summit beckons, and the final push will see you arrive at the summit of Ben Nevis, where on a clear day you can see for many miles in all directions, and you can joint the many thousands of people who can claim to have “done the Ben”!