There are around 100,000 ascents of Ben Nevis each year with the majority of tourists using the walking route accessible via lower Glen Nevis. This track was created in 1883 at the same time as the observatory and is more commonly referred to as the ‘Pony Track’. The track goes right to the summit through a series of windy paths up the western face, most climbers tend to use the Allt a’ Mhuilinn path which leads to the cliffs which is accessible via the ‘North Face Car park’ in Torlundy along the A82 before the turn off for Nevis Range.

Whichever route you decide to take be sure to wear the right gear!!! Kit up for the mountain with its snowy peak, changeable weather and unforgiving winds or you’ll find yourself being carried off by one of the friendly faces of the the busiest Mountain Rescue Team in the UK. The inexperienced walker can expect to see the summit in between 4 and 6 hours with the sure footed veterans hitting the top in under 3, but however long it takes you the views from the top will make it all worthwhile!!!

If you like your history the first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis was made on the 17th of August 1771 but James Robertson, a botanist from Edinburgh, who was in the region to collecting botanical specimens. Also the first record for fastest time up and down the Ben was set in 1895 by William Swan, a local hairdresser who ran to the summit and back in 2 hours 41 minutes!

There are plenty facilities nearby Glen Nevis and Ben Nevis including hostels, camp sites and Bed & Breakfasts to rest your arching bones, all of which are only minutes from the town centre of Fort William.  If you plan to stay in Fort William itself then check out our list of Fort William Hotels nearby Ben Nevis.

Interesting facts:

On 17th May 2006 a piano that had been buried under one of the cairns on the peak was uncovered by the John Muir Trust which owns much of the mountain. The piano is thought to have been shouldered to the top for charity by removal men from Dundee some 20 years earlier.

To get a live stream of Ben Nevis, check out The Ben Nevis Webcam!

Many folk would be surprised to know that Alfred Hitchcock used a little poetic license in his film ‘The 39 Steps’ (1935) when his main character hops aboard The Flying Scotsmanwhich promptly shoots over the Forth Bridge immediately into….nope not Fife but Rannoch Moor in Glencoe with the Police hot on his heels.  If you’re in this area you should check out The Clachaig Inn for some fine grub, tunes and cracking ales (not necessarily in that order right enough!)  If you want to ride the west coast line in style you should check out The Jacobite Steam Train which will take you on a whistle-stop tour of some breathtaking sites between Fort William and Mallaig.

Now who hasn’t seen ‘Braveheart’?  You?  Right stop reading immediately and get to Blockbuster!  Go on, get!  Now the rest of you however I’m sure couldn’t help but be romanced by the unquestionable beauty of the setting for Mel Gibson’s 1995, famously inaccurate, Braveheart.  The americanisation of the tale of Sir William Wallace saw his true home of Lanark changed for the haunting yet beautiful Glencoe and Glen Nevis, a few miles outside Fort William. I remember auditioning as a child to be an extra in the film only to be told I lived too far away and it wouldn’t be practical.  If you ask me I think they were just worried about a podgy ginger kid sticking out like a sore thumb in impoverished 13th century Scotland!  Alas my career as an actor wasn’t to be.  Anyway If you’re looking for somewhere to stay a stones throw from where all this was filmed you should check out  our page here.

We’ll be bringing you more soon so keep your bloggin’ eyes peeled!