As we were leaving Edinburgh, Aaron and I came across a rare treasure in the Scottish Highlands: the forecast called for a sunny day atop Ben Nevis. While we initially planned to hike the West Highland Way south to north (from Glasgow to Fort William), we decided to take take the train north and and try our hand at climbing the famous Ben Nevis. And while the mountain kicked our ass, we were so glad we did.
At 1344 meters (4410 feet) Ben Nevis stands as the tallest peak in the U.K. And it’s not messing around. While on paper it’s not as tall as some of the mountains in the Smokey’s, the climb up Ben Nevis begins at only 20m above sea level, making the total climb much longer than most treks you’ll find in the states. Taking about 4 hours to get to the summit, and another 3 hours to descend, it’s a walk not for the faint of heart. Add in massive wind gusts and an icy summit, you are looking at one challenging hike, even on the beautiful sunny day we had.
We started the hike at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, where a life-saving woman named Heather offered to stow our hiking packs for us in her room. After unloading most of our gear and grabbing what we thought was enough clothing, we set out on our climb. The beginning of the hike was up a pretty steep stone path, but nothing we couldn’t handle. The path was well maintained with a stone walkway along much of the way. What made the climb hard was the gusty wind blowing down the mountain, almost knocking us off the path.
As we gained elevation, the trail changed from paved stone path to rocky road. About ⅓ up the mountain, you left the typical Scottish Highland grass and transitioned to rocks and gravel. Again, the path was well maintained and easy to follow, but the ascent got steeper and harder to find level footing. The temperature dropped and the winds kept blowing, and while we kept looking up at peaks around us, Aaron kept warning that we haven’t yet seen the summit. And, as is typically the case, he was right.
Ben Nevis’ peak is actually a long flat plateau-like area, which means you never really see the peak until you summit the final ascent. But about ⅔ up the path you can finally see that climb that leads the top, and you realize the best/worst is yet to come. The top of the mountain is still covered in snow and ice, and the path becomes a slippery test of your balance. Some of the path was a hand-over-fist icy climb, which actually made for a fun slide down. While the final ascent to the peak was windy, wet and wild, the views on this spectacularly clear day were worth it.
On the Summit, the icy wind was howling, with gusts up to 80 mph. We braved the freezing cold peak as long as we could (which was not long) and snapped a few photos of the beautiful highlands. The clear day was well worth the hike to the summit, as we got to see a view that many Scots never get the opportunity to see.
The climb back down was trickier than the climb up. The icy paths had melted in the sun and re-froze under the chilly winds. The Scots had it down though, and over many of the longer steeper sections the locals had carved an ice slide to allow for a safer and way more fun descent. I dubbed it Scottish Bobsledding.
After the hike, Aaron and I were spent and our legs and knees were hurting. Fearing we may have overdone it, we went to the hostel and ordered a hot chocolate and cake and warmed up for an hour or so before we found a campsite on the West Highland Way. When we woke up the next morning, we didn’t quite feel up to walk the 12 miles to the next town, and decided we still needed a rest from the climb up Ben Nevis, so we returned for another night in the charming Fort William.
Yes, the mountain kicked our asses, but we are so glad it did.
Wow!!! What an adventure! You guys totally Rock – love the narrative and all the photos??