BEN NEVIS
Distance - 10 miles
Elevation - 1,345 metres
Location - Scotland
The last time we were in Fort William we had just finished the West Highland Way and were in no fit state to tackle Ben Nevis. So knowing that we would be returning to Fort William I was determined to build it into our plan.
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles located in the Scottish Highlands close to Fort William. The summit is 1,345 metres above sea level.
The week prior to us driving up to Scotland we had read about the sheer number of people visiting Ben Nevis, so we were prepared to see crowds, and they were not wrong. As soon as we arrived at the Ben Nevis Visitors Centre car park, which was just before 8am, we were shocked to see that the car park was already over half full (and it’s a decent size car park!).
Parking cost £6 for the full day, and there were toilet facilities at the visitors centre.
Large groups of walkers were already congregating ready to start the ascent, so we made the sensible decision to waste no time and get ahead of the bubble. It was clear some people were not prepared and we were shocked to see some questionable choice of footwear and clothing.
The route up to the summit was previously known as the ‘tourist route’, however, we understand this has been renamed as the ‘The Mountain track’. A wise decision, as this is not your standard tourist destination. It is a 10-mile route, with the path being the same route up and down.
We were concerned about having a map etc. ahead of the walk, however, we found that we didn't need one ... simply follow the trail of people!
There were a lot of families, every credit to those with young children! We also saw a lot of dog walkers, but we were concerned for the smaller dogs like Dachshunds and hoped the owners weren’t walking them to the summit!
There is no denying that the walk up to the summit is tough and you certainly feel the incline underfoot from the get-go. The path is very rocky with boulder formed steps, with the path narrowing in places.
On reaching Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe it felt like we had made progress, only to learn there were 700 metres remaining. The views were spectacular, getting great views over Fort William and the surrounding mountains. The only regret we do have is not dousing ourselves with smidge, as the lead up to the Loch was slightly testing with the midges.
There was a lot of switchbacks and a minor stream crossing, nothing too difficult to navigate.
As we neared closer to the summit the landscape changed to a grey landscape of small rocks/ stones.
It took us around 3 hours to reach the summit and we well and truly had our heads in the clouds. On the last stretch to the summit, we had a small window of no clouds however we were soon engulfed in cloud cover.
We waited only a few minutes to take the final steps to the trig point, enjoying the moment and of course taking a few pictures!
As expected the temperature at the summit was low, close to 0C. But we came prepared with our cosy jackets, hats and gloves. We spent a short time at the summit to refuel, and prepare ourselves for the descent. During this time a wave of people had arrived at the summit and a queue had started to form to get that all-important picture at the trig.
There are many people who prefer to run down or take the most direct route possible, personally I am a very nervous person on the descent (a personal goal to improve and gain confidence!) after falling last year on the coast to coast, so the descent took slightly longer than we had hoped. However, I would rather take my time and be safe than risk injury, especially as we were starting the Great Glen Way the next day.
There were many people still making the ascent as we made our way down. For some, it was bound to be a long day, we are just thankful to have missed the bubble. On returning to the car park it was absolutely jammed with cars parked in every inch of spare space, crazy!
It felt amazing to have finally tackled Ben Nevis!
In terms of Covid -19, there were no social distancing measures, only guidelines to follow in the visitor's centre (face masks to be worn, and one route around the centre, reduced shop/ features).
