Ben Nevis
25 Oct 2018If you fancy mountain climbing or advanced hill walking, then you’re going to need a few things. A lot of stamina, the right gear and experience. This is the highest peak in Scotland and also Great Britain’s tallest mountain, at 1344 m (4409 ft). Due to unpredictable weather, you need to prepare carefully and it’s recommended that you seek prior advice from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.
Known as ‘The Ben’, Ben Nevis is part of the Grampian Mountains in Lochaber. Definitely the oldest and coldest in our list of places to visit in Scotland, Ben Nevis is all that remains of an ancient volcano. Yes that’s right, a volcano in Scotland. Due to its magnificent height, snow is typically found at the summit, all year round. At the top, you are 1,344.5 m above sea level. Do you have what it takes?
The first person to successfully reach the summit was Edinburgh Botanist, James Robertson on the 17th August 1771. Today, over 100,000 people climb the mountain every year. You don’t have to get to the top though to enjoy Ben Nevis. There are various walking routes and mountain tracks and on the summit climb, which begins in Glen Nevis, you can view the old observatory which was still in operation until 1904. In September you can also be a spectator of The Ben Nevis Race, which sees top competitors hill running up and down the mountain in under an hour and 30 minutes. Ben Nevis is also one of the three mountains of the National Three Peaks Challenge, along with Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon.
