Climbing Ben Nevis Is Fun!
Climbing Ben Nevis is one of the things to do in the United Kingdom if you are a hill walker because it is the United Kingdom's highest mountain.
Simply known as the 'Ben' it is situated in the Lochaber region of Scotland just outside Fort William.
It stands proudly, at the head of Loch Linnhe, at a height of 4,408 feet, in some of the best scenery in the world and boasts some of the worst weather in Britain.
The mountain not only attracts world-class climbers but also fund-raisers who walk up it to raise money for charity and ordinary hill walkers like myself who do it because it is there to be done.
The first recorded ascent of the 'Ben' was by James Robertson a botanist who was collecting plant specimens for the College Museum in Edinburgh.
This was in seventeen seventy-one.
Today many people can say the have climbed Ben Nevis and some can even say the have run to the top and back in a little under one and a half hours.
Every September there is a world-famous, up and down, fell race that attracts hundreds of hill runners from around the globe.
The main footpath up the mountain called the 'Tourist Path' was made in 1883 when a weather observatory was built on the summit to record the mountain weather for the Scottish meteorological Society.
This was closed in 1904 and the building continued in use as a small cafe until 1916.
The ruins can be visited once you reach the top.
The best time to go up Ben Nevis is between the months of May and September and the hike to the top and back will take between 4 to 6 hours depending on your fitness and how long you keep stopping to admire the view.
My wife and I had a great day climbing Ben Nevis early in September and were using the climb as a warm up to climbing 'Kinabalu' in South East Asia.
Before you begin your climb it makes sense to visit the information office in Glen Nevis for the latest weather reports and some good sound advice for your climb.
On the mountain the weather can change in minutes so you need to be prepared for the possible weather changes because you don't want to be one of those who have to be rescued or lifted off...
do you? It is said that you have to climb it five or six times before you get a good view from the top.
And whatever the time of year you go up it is usually cold, windy, wet and covered in cloud.
My wife and I were fortunate to have a glorious day for our ascent.
The sun was shining and it was a crystal clear day where you could see away into the distance.
We enjoyed a simple picnic lunch on the summit in T-shirts.
The views over Loch Linnhe, Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mor, Aonach Beag, the rocky ridge of the Mamores and the mountains of Glen Coe were breathtaking.
The view at the summit, on a clear day, is extensive and extends to over 190 kilometres (120 miles), including such mountains as the Torridon Hills, Morven in Caithness, Lochnagar, Ben Lomond, Barra Head and views to Knocklayd in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Gaelic Bheinn Nibheis (Ben Nevis) is thought to mean terrible or poisonous head in the clouds.
The closest translation is probably venomous.
Perhaps on a bad weather day this could be true especially over the infamous 'zig zags' but on the day my wife and I enjoyed the delights of the mountain it couldn't have been further from the truth.
Climbing Ben Nevis is fun, so give it a go!
Simply known as the 'Ben' it is situated in the Lochaber region of Scotland just outside Fort William.
It stands proudly, at the head of Loch Linnhe, at a height of 4,408 feet, in some of the best scenery in the world and boasts some of the worst weather in Britain.
The mountain not only attracts world-class climbers but also fund-raisers who walk up it to raise money for charity and ordinary hill walkers like myself who do it because it is there to be done.
The first recorded ascent of the 'Ben' was by James Robertson a botanist who was collecting plant specimens for the College Museum in Edinburgh.
This was in seventeen seventy-one.
Today many people can say the have climbed Ben Nevis and some can even say the have run to the top and back in a little under one and a half hours.
Every September there is a world-famous, up and down, fell race that attracts hundreds of hill runners from around the globe.
The main footpath up the mountain called the 'Tourist Path' was made in 1883 when a weather observatory was built on the summit to record the mountain weather for the Scottish meteorological Society.
This was closed in 1904 and the building continued in use as a small cafe until 1916.
The ruins can be visited once you reach the top.
The best time to go up Ben Nevis is between the months of May and September and the hike to the top and back will take between 4 to 6 hours depending on your fitness and how long you keep stopping to admire the view.
My wife and I had a great day climbing Ben Nevis early in September and were using the climb as a warm up to climbing 'Kinabalu' in South East Asia.
Before you begin your climb it makes sense to visit the information office in Glen Nevis for the latest weather reports and some good sound advice for your climb.
On the mountain the weather can change in minutes so you need to be prepared for the possible weather changes because you don't want to be one of those who have to be rescued or lifted off...
do you? It is said that you have to climb it five or six times before you get a good view from the top.
And whatever the time of year you go up it is usually cold, windy, wet and covered in cloud.
My wife and I were fortunate to have a glorious day for our ascent.
The sun was shining and it was a crystal clear day where you could see away into the distance.
We enjoyed a simple picnic lunch on the summit in T-shirts.
The views over Loch Linnhe, Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mor, Aonach Beag, the rocky ridge of the Mamores and the mountains of Glen Coe were breathtaking.
The view at the summit, on a clear day, is extensive and extends to over 190 kilometres (120 miles), including such mountains as the Torridon Hills, Morven in Caithness, Lochnagar, Ben Lomond, Barra Head and views to Knocklayd in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Gaelic Bheinn Nibheis (Ben Nevis) is thought to mean terrible or poisonous head in the clouds.
The closest translation is probably venomous.
Perhaps on a bad weather day this could be true especially over the infamous 'zig zags' but on the day my wife and I enjoyed the delights of the mountain it couldn't have been further from the truth.
Climbing Ben Nevis is fun, so give it a go!
