Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis lies in the Scottish Highlands, near Fort William, and the track we took was the established tourist route from the Glen Nevis Camp Site. This is classed as the most practical short route, and involves a steep climb from the site, rather than the longer but shallower starting point from the track that starts behind the distillery on the A82 by Achintree. This Pony track route was constructed to service the meteorological observatory that opened in 1883, and remains wholly intact. It traverses the SW side of Meall an t-Suidhe, then zigzags the broad west slopes of Ben Nevis to the exposed summit plateau, and consists of a rocky path over steep boulder fields. The problems encountered on this route include the cornices at the head of Gardyloo Gully and Tower Gully, mistaken descent into Five Finger Gully and crossing the top of Red Burn. Despite all this, the Pony Track remains the safest route to take. Ben Nevis is 1,344m (4,409ft) high, and involves 1,325m (4,347ft) of climbing from the camp site which is 30 m above sea level. The route difficulty is regarded as intermediate to strenuous and the distance from the start to the summit is approximately 4.75 miles (7.6km). Snow remains on the top of Ben Nevis well into the summer making it particularly hazardous. In low visibility conditions it is wise to use a map and compass and follow the recommended route of descent.
Recommended Route of Descent
Warning: These bearings and distances are only likely to be of assistance if you are already a competent navigator. Even very experienced mountaineers can have great difficulty navigating accurately in severe wind or 'white-out' conditions, such as occur frequently on the Ben Nevis plateau.
1. From the summit trig pillar walk 150 metres on a grid bearing of 231� to near the top of Gardyloo Gully, (first marker pole).
2. Then follow a grid bearing of 282� to clear the plateau. (A second marker pole is situated 300m along this second bearing, at the top of McLean's Steep.)
Notes:
1. At present (1995) magnetic north lies about 5� west of grid north for Ben Nevis. In order to calculate magnetic bearings (i.e. the value you set on your compass), it is necessary to ADD 5� to these grid bearings. This adjustment will decrease by about 1� every six years.
2. The marker poles are reported to have been removed recently (November 1996) by vandals who took a hacksaw to them and threw them away.
OS Landranger (1:50,000) no 41. Outdoor Leisure 1:25,000 no 38: Harvey's Walkers Map (1:40,000), and Superwalker (1:25,000) Ben Nevis - this includes a 1:12,500 enlargement of the Ben's summit.
Tourist Information: Fort William.
click on this link...
