Ben Nevis Review

Overall Rating

Extreme sense of achievement, costs nothing but time and effort, views that are priceless.

Energy sapping, not good for the unhealthy and overweight, dangerous at times and extreme weather conditions vary at different height levels.

If you are going to Scotland and you are moderately healthy then Ben Nevis is your ultimate goal of achievement, Ben Nevis is the tallest mountain in the UK and at just over 1,350 metres high it is not just a stroll in the park. you will find this adventure by travelling to Fort William, the largest town in Scotland, from there you should take the campsite road until you reach the Ben Nevis visitors centre, which is at the start of the Ben Nevis walk. Please go in and talk to the ranger behind the desk, it is free and he will offer you the best advice for the conditions for that day and will also offer advice on clothing and useful equipment to take with you.
The walk starts slowly along the river and then starts to rise up to a lower restaurant and bar, which will be essential later, then you amble along for about half a mile until the climb begins to rise by way of large steps upwards over medium sized boulders. You will begin to zigzag up the first part of the mountain at a reasonable pace with stops every four to five minutes to get your breath back and then move on. The middle section is a very pleasant walk on a flat path next to a lovely mountain lake half way up, with magnificent views all around, if only you could stop there it would be brilliant. Now the going gets tough and slightly dangerous, the path changes to shale and the gradient becomes steep, the air becomes thinner and your stops become more often, this also causes you bigger problems every time you start off again, then you zigzag to a point that I called the point of make your mind up time. It is at this point when the shale gets more dangerous, the mountain gets steeper again and the temperature drops to nearly zero. A lot of people give up at this point, especially when those people coming down tell you that you still have at least an hour before you get to the top. For those who venture on, the rewards are great, the views are stunning and the sense of achievement is overwhelming. It has taken you four and a quarter hours to reach your goal but do not think it ends there, the trip down is even worse, it is much harder to go down and your knees will tell you this. It took us three hours to descend and that was without having to rest and catch your breath like you had to on the way up. When you get half a mile from reaching the bottom the restaurant that you passed some seven hours ago comes into view, that last half mile only takes you fifteen minutes.
The stories you have to share with everyone else in the bar are special and make you part of a huge select family.
Would I do it again? If I had less weight and was fitter, you bet I would, get me my zimmer frame and off I will go but lets leave it for a few months!

Members' Comments onmister z's Review

• willtheman45 on 25th Jan 2008

  Must do this_Iv'e done Snowdon and Scafell Pike-now fo the big one.
  Great review.