Peakbagger.com
Peak Lists	Climbers	Ranges	Geography	Help	Search	Log In

Ascent of Ben Nevis on 2023-07-18

Climber: Floyd Greenwood

Other People:	Solo Ascent
Date:	Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Ascent Type:	Successful Summit Attained
Peak:	Ben Nevis
Location:	UK-Scotland
Elevation:	4413 ft / 1345 m
Ascent Trip Report Entered 8/14/2023. Took the train to Fort William 7/17 and stayed in Fort William Backpackers that night. The kitchen in the hostel opened for breakfast at 7 and I departed at 7:45. Walking from the hostel, I left the town and followed a road that roughly tracks Glen Nevis before reaching the start of the summit trail at Achintee. I had the road to myself for the most part, but the summit trail was an ant line. It was beautiful, though, and made up for the crowds. I passed a decent number of people, summiting just over 2 hours after Achintee (10:15). The trail is very well maintained, easy to follow, and the grade is consistent. I learned later in the West Highland Museum that this trail was built to allow carriages to climb the mountain to support the observatory that once stood on the summit. Ruins of the observatory are present. East of the summit, the trail becomes more difficult to follow. Some cairns mark the edge of the north-facing cliffs of Ben Nevis, not the trail, as I was to find out. After a look at Gaia GPS on my phone, I found approximately where the trail should be. It descends the surprisingly steep and rocky south face of the mountain, involving mild to moderate scrambling. I traveled slowly here. In due time I reached the ridge or arête that I was to follow to Càrn Mòr Dearg. The views were great hiking up Ben Nevis, but I was in awe of what I saw here. In front of me was the sharp, knife's edge ridge culminating at the second Munro of the day with its red-stained slopes. Behind me was the East Buttress of Ben Nevis towering above, clouds colliding with it, the wind attempting to push them over the summit. On my left was the bare cirque, fresh from glacial forces, with the climbing cabin in its center. To the right appeared to be a wilderness of treeless mountains, valleys, and waterways. I also had the most solitude here, passing just two or three other groups in between Ben Nevis and Càrn Mòr Dearg. After a break on Càrn Mòr Dearg, I made quick time to its subpeak. Approaching its summit clouds rolled in, reducing visibility to maybe 25 yards. Fortunately, the descending trail was easy to follow, despite being unmarked. In 10 minutes the clouds cleared once again, and I enjoyed sunny skies for the remainder of the hike. The lower parts of this particular path are muddy, and couldn't escape getting my feet wet. After the mud this trail merges with another that heads to the climber's cabin. The trail was much better maintained here, and I ran into a couple of the caretakers who work for the nearby aluminum smelting factory. One is involved in Outward Bound, and she asked me if I had been to Thompson Island in Boston (yes!). After crossing a sheep gate the trail became a dirt road. I passed a small dam before skirting across the mountain to access the Distillery Path. A gravel road zig-zags down. I passed some active construction vehicles performing maintenance on the road. It was good to have my map handy because the roads here are unmarked. The Distillery Path is a public trail that follows a small stream from the smelting factory property to the Ben Nevis Distillery. The path goes behind the distillery and terminates amongst their outbuildings. From here I crossed a rotary to a coastal trail following the River Lochy and eventually Loch Linnhe. It passes by Inverlochy Castle, but it was closed due to its unstable structure. Past the castle I felt like I was in the town again, being the only hiker among locals and other tourists. Before returning to the hostel I decided to stop at The Highland Bookshop and buy an Ordnance Survey map of Ben Nevis as a souvenir. My print map was a printout of my Gaia GPS route. Ben Nevis was an incredible hike. It was totally worth going the extra miles to go a little off the beaten path. I hope to hike in Scotland again in the future!