Ben Nevis

Introduction

Ben Nevis - The Real Mountain

© ulsterboy

The best-known and heighest mountain of the United Kingdom, the Ben Nevis is located in the Scottish Highlands, near Fort William, at the western end of the Grampian Mountains. For mountaineers the most challenging part of the mountain is the North side, with its 700 metres high cliffs. Most of the 100,000 people climbing Ben Nevis every year, take a more careful approach and use the Tourist track.

There are three starting points to start the accent over the Tourist Track (also known as the Pony track). You can start from the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, Achintee Farm, and from the parking lot at Glen Nevis visitors centre. The total distance till the top is 13 kilometres, and for an average tourist the summit can be reached within 5 hours, allow yourself another 2,5 hours to get back down again. Bear in mind that the conditions on the mountain can be bad, at any day of the year. Be prepared for rain, strong winds, mist and snow even on summer days.

Getting There

Near summit of Ben Nevis

© cstevenson

The easiest way to get to the Ben Nevis region is to travel to Fort William. From there it's just a short trip to the Glen Nevis visitors center.

By Car

With a car you can drive until the Glen Nevis visitors center. From Fort William trainstation keep following Belford Road, which bends away from the A82, near to the Belford Hospital. If you follow Belford Road you will end up in Glen Nevis.

By Bus

Bus No. 42 goes from Fort William, and stops at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel. The trip takes about 10 minutes, be warned that the frequency of buses on a Sunday is much lower than during the other days of the week.

Sleep

There are a couple of places to stay. First of all you can obviously stay in Fort William, but if you want to stay closer to the Ben, you have the choice to stay at the Glen Nevis Caravan and Camping Park, The Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, the Ben Nevis Inn, and Achintee Farm.