Ben Nevis

One walker draws a sharp line between the two sides of Ben Nevis. The North Face is where the hardcore set go, while the tourist route from the visitor centre is the sensible option he followed. He is quick to add that even that route is far from easy.

the really hardcore side is the North Face that's where all the crazy people go the sensible people choose the tourist route

Before setting out one walker checked the forecast with campsite reception: about 3 degrees Celsius at the top with a biting windchill. He carried waterproof trousers, a waterproof jacket, a hat and gloves to offset it.

the forecast is that it's going to be 3 degrees up on the top there and winds to probably match

Higher on the mountain the weather turned colder and windier and the path vanished into a natural, rocky line. Way-marker cairns guide walkers when cloud rolls in, but beyond one marker there was no distinct path and the route became hard to follow. The walker reflects that in deeper fog it would be easy to get lost without those markers.

if it was more foggy than this you could easily get lost

Near the summit there is a sign reading "Weak Edge - Keep Off" on the north side. One walker took it as the cue to stay well back from the North Face, which he describes as a death slide into the abyss, and came no closer than the warning allowed.

Weak Edge keep off

After most walkers touched the top and left, one walker spent ten minutes alone among the summit ruins. The cloud had been sitting on the top, but as he stayed, the fog cleared and the sun came out, suddenly opening up the whole view — a bonus that made the day worth it.

I cannot believe how lucky I am that the sun's just come out

Ben Nevis rises to 1,344 m, the highest mountain in the UK, located near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. The name is said to come from the Gaelic beinn nibheis, which loosely translates as either "venomous mountain" or "mountain with its head in the clouds", both of which felt fitting to the walkers. It is one of the UK's three peaks alongside Scafell Pike and Snowdon.

venomous mountain or mountain with its head in the clouds

The walk starts from the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre in Glen Nevis. Parking cost around £6 for the day and the centre has toilets and a small shop, with opening hours that vary seasonally. The walkers recommend using the facilities and checking the weather updates posted inside before heading out, since mist down at the base can mean a full hill at the top.

Parking cost around £6 for the day.

The halfway lochan, resting in a hollow flanked by dramatic slopes, sits at about 507 m and despite the name is not the true halfway point. The view from it takes in the zigzags ahead, which look small on the map but go on much longer than expected — there are about nine of them and more are hidden behind cloud. Walkers use it as a scenic spot to reassess energy and weather.

this point at 507 meters is not actually halfway

The Red Burn, where a small stream crosses the trail, marks the true halfway point and the point where the real work begins. The walkers recommend eating lunch or a snack there, because beyond it the wind picks up, the path steepens and the air grows noticeably colder. The group was hit by hail shortly after leaving it.

eat your lunch or snack here because beyond this point, the wind picks up

The zigzags above the Red Burn are steep, exposed and can be slippery. The walkers are clear that shortcutting straight across them is a bad idea: the ground is unstable and has been the cause of serious accidents.

It's important to not shortcut across the zigzags. The ground is unstable and has caused serious accidents.

At around 1,200 m the slope flattens onto the summit plateau, but the top is still ahead. Walkers navigate across rocky ground to the final steep push known as Mclean Steep, a name said to come from the contractor who built the summit observatory in the 1880s.

the final steep push known as Mclean Steep, named after the contractor who built the Summit Observatory in the 1880s

The cliffs on the north side of the summit drop nearly 600 m, so walkers are told to stay well back from the edge. In snow, the edges can be disguised: you can be standing on snow that has no ground beneath it. Visibility at the top was poor enough on the trip that one walker could not see what was in front of him.

you think that you're standing on snow, but actually there's no ground underneath

The walkers close with three tips. First, prepare for all weather: sunshine at the base does not mean safety at the top, so carry layers, gloves and waterproofs even in summer. Second, start early, because the round trip takes 6 to 9 hours. Third, do not hike alone if you are new, since conditions change quickly and route-finding in poor visibility is tricky.

Sunshine at the base doesn't mean safety at the top

A couple attempting their first-ever Ben Nevis climb chose the Tourist Path (Mountain Track) on purpose. They describe themselves as not experienced climbers and wanted the easiest option first, leaving harder routes for a possible return trip.

we're doing the tourist path. First time we've climbed Ben Nevis. Not going to do anything silly, are we?

Two first-time walkers noted how straightforward the path seemed in good weather but described the stone marker posts as lifesavers when conditions are misty and dark. One marker they passed read like a warning to turn back if you had gone the wrong way.

why these sort of stone markers are kind of, you know, a bit of a lifesaver

Two walkers found coming down the loose stone path harder than going up. Climbing, the loose stones had not felt too bad, but on the way down the same ground was a different ball game, described as almost entirely a mental challenge. Both were grateful to reach the firmer gravel track near the bottom.

that wasn't a physical challenge. That was all mental.

The track was originally built to serve the summit observatory, which was continuously manned between 1883 and 1904. Its presence was partly down to meteorologist Clement Lindley Wragge, who climbed to the top almost every day for six months to take weather measurements while his wife took the same readings at the bottom at the same time.

permanently manned between 1883 and 1904

Before the track-building era ended, there was a hotel on the top of Ben Nevis known as the Temperance Hotel. It was run by two sisters until it closed in 1916, some years after the observatory itself shut in 1904 when government funding was pulled.

a hotel on the top known as The Temperance Hotel it was run by two sisters until it closed in 1916

On a clear summer day the summit was extremely busy, with people queueing to have their picture taken on the trig point or to stand on the emergency survival shelter. That shelter, the walker notes, is really only supposed to be used for survival rather than as a photo spot.

people were queueing just to get their picture taken on the trig point

Looking down from the summit plateau, Gardyloo Gully is a reality check: sheer, jagged cliffs dropping into cloud far below. In 2019 some highliners actually strung a wire across the gap and walked across it, though they wore safety harnesses.

some highliners actually strung a wire across the gap and walked across

A guide on the mountain told his group that around 70% of accidents happen on the way back down. The walker credits the idea: legs are tired, attention drops, and on a busy day people bunch up so that one slip can cause a chain reaction. He put it down as a believable warning even allowing for on-the-spot statistics.

70% of accidents happen on the way back down a mountain

A Munro-bagger who had completed all 282 Munros chose the Carn Mor Dearg Arete for this ascent, describing it as one of the finest routes up the highest mountain in Scotland. After finishing his round he had already done Ben Nevis via the ledge route and Carn Mor Dearg was his final Munro, but the traverse between the two summits was still new to him. He found the arete narrow in places and exposed, but not too tricky.

Once the Carn Mor Dearg Arete levels out, walkers can take a bypass to the left or right or stay on the crest of the ridge. Sticking to the crest does not make the scrambling much more difficult, but the exposure is significant in places. A separate section of loose rock required care and a check that each hold was secure before weight was put on it.

you can either take a bypass to the left or right or stick to the crest of the ridge

The Carn Mor Dearg Arete is rated the best approach to Ben Nevis: the tourist path is the most popular and one of the busiest routes in Scotland, while the arete is more scenic and its scrambling not too difficult. The walker later rated the day a solid 9 out of 10.

this has to be the best approach to get up Ben Nevis

The summit was extremely busy, but there were still spaces to sit and take in the views. The walker spent a while watching rock climbers moving through Tower Gap on Tower Ridge below, including climbers dropping into the gap, calling it especially good viewing. For a few moments he had the satisfaction of being the highest person in the UK.

you can see climbers dropping into the gap

The descent came back down the tourist path, which the walker describes as looking like a desert and being really well trodden. From the halfway lochan he cut off the side of the hill on a quieter path back to the North Face car park, finishing about eight hours after setting out.

Looks like a desert going down here. Really well trodden path.