Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK, is an attractive location for tourists and walkers of many abilities. Standing at 4411 ft (1345 m), it sits within a stunning Scottish landscape. The walk is challenging and the views are fantastic if you’re lucky enough for clear weather. There are a variety of ways up Ben Nevis for both climbers and walkers with each way offering a unique experience.
Mountain Track / Tourist Route
The Tourist Route or Mountain Track, is the most popular and well-known way up the mountain. It’s without a doubt the easiest route. Therefore this not only attracts a multitude of walkers but also those who are quite inexperienced. The route begins from the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre car park, which is handy as the centre includes a shop and toilet. It’s best to prepare your equipment before this point though.
The good thing about the Mountain Track is that there’s a very obvious path that takes you all the way to the top. You will probably want walking boots because the ground is rough and the top of the mountain is very rocky.
Whilst the Mountain Track is ideal for your first ascent of Ben Nevis, there are downsides to walking this route. Firstly, it’s busy! On popular days this route resembles a motorway as walkers crowd up and down the path. Therefore if you need the toilet anywhere on your walk, you’re likely to have a vast audience (believe me, I know from experience!).
If aesthetics is what you’re after on a walk, the tourist route isn’t the most spectacular way for beauty. Don’t get me wrong, it does have its fair share of stunning views, however the other side of the mountain is pretty magnificent the whole way.
Alternative Routes up Ben Nevis
The North Face of Ben Nevis fuses drama with excitement and gives you all the aesthetics you could hope for. Years ago I walked (or rather clambered) most of the way up Ben Nevis via the CMD arête. A complete stranger to arêtes at the time, this was definitely not the right way up Ben Nevis for me. However, if you have more experience and a head for heights, this is an amazing route. The views are pretty spectacular and the initial walk along the path from the North Face car park is really lovely.
Seeing red deer along the way adds to the ‘Scottish experience’ and the route gives you a fair challenge. We climbed vertically from nearby the C.I.C. Memorial Hut to join other walkers near the summit of Carn Mor Dearg before taking on the arête. With our equipment and level of fitness at the time, this was a terrible decision. I had a bag full of camera gear and everything I wore was heavy. The more popular choice on this route is to join the path to Carn Mor Dearg sooner. This should leave you with sufficient energy to summit both Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis.
Another well known way up Ben Nevis is the Ledge route. Whilst I was comfortably springing up the tourist route recently, one of our team headed up this alternative ‘path’. OK so actually forget the word ‘path’ completely at this point. Good luck finding the route and if you do, you’ll need to toughen up to complete it. I think all of this comes down to your level of experience. The more you’ve walked, clambered and scrambled, the more you’ll crave adventure, in which case, if you’re highly experienced, this could be the route for you.
Making It to the Top of Ben Nevis
Whichever route you take up Ben Nevis, you’re going to end up in the same place at the end. The summit of Ben Nevis is vast so it’s easy to think you’re near the top much sooner than you actually are. In great weather you can enjoy fantastic views but in bad visibility the sense of achievement is enough to put a smile on your face. Don’t get fooled as to which of the scattered buildings, ruins and shelters is actually the top. The trig point is on top of a platform with steps up one side.
One thing to note…unless you’ve chosen a very hot day, there’s a good chance you will be, oh, so cold! I’ve seen so many people arrive at the summit in jeans and hoodies. Believe me when I say that you’re likely to want more even in summer. Seriously, leave jeans behind! If it starts to rain, jeans are just horrific to wear. Light weight trousers with the option of full waterproofs, gloves, hand warmers, buff and hat are the way to go. I took all of the above last time and my hands still became painfully cold in the course of about ten minutes.
The best thing to remember on any walk is to enjoy yourself.
Want a better view of the Mountain route? Watch our video below.
Watch Our Ben Nevis Walk
Useful Links
Plan your route with OS Maps here.
Find out what www.visitscotland.com says about Ben Nevis.
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