Ben Nevis, in 'autumn gold' light, from the south-east - photo Mark Trengove (AI-adapted)

Ben Nevis (Beinn Nibheis)

1344.5m, P1344.5m

Location

Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, UK

Coordinates

56.7969° N, 5.0037° W

Range

Grampian Mountains, Scottish Highlands 

Description of the mountain and geology

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland, and in Britain.  It stands at the western end of the Grampian Mountains, overlooking the town of Fort William, in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands. The Gaelic name Beinn Nibheis is usually interpreted as ‘mountain of heaven’ or ‘venomous mountain’.

Ben Nevis is the ruin of a Devonian volcano that self-destructed and collapsed into itself in a cataclysmic explosion in the Carboniferous Period about 350 million years ago. Its rocks are part of the Ben Nevis Granite Formation, created during the Caledonian orogeny when the ancient continents of Laurentia, Baltica and Avalonia collided. The summit and upper slopes consist mainly of coarse pink granite, while the lower ridges are composed of metamorphic schists and quartzites.

Evidence of glaciation is seen in the cliffs of its north face, shaped by repeated ice action and frost shattering. These cliffs rise nearly 600 metres from the valley floor, and contain classic glacial corries such as Coire Leis and Coire na Ciste, with gullies that hold snow well into summer. The western and north-western slopes are smoother, descending towards Glen Nevis, providing the main walking route to the summit.

Archaeological, Historical and Cultural Notes

Archaeological finds around Glen Nevis indicate prehistoric settlement and later medieval habitation. In the 18th century, the surrounding area was mapped during the Ordnance Survey’s early triangulations, which first fixed the mountain’s height. The summit once hosted a meteorological observatory, opened in 1883 and operating until 1904. Its stone ruins still stand beside the summit cairn.

The mountain has long held cultural importance in Scottish identity, appearing in Gaelic poetry, mountaineering literature, and folk memory. The first recorded ascent was made by James Robertson, a botanist, in 1771. Climbing it became fashionable in the Victorian era, with the opening of the Pony Track in 1883, enabling guided ascents from Fort William.  Ben Nevis is a symbol of national pride, and at the centre of Scottish rock/ice-climbing and mountaineering.

Summit Description

The summit plateau is broad and often snow-covered, abruptly terminating at the north cliffs. A large cairn and trig point mark the true summit, surrounded by the remains of the observatory buildings and the base of the old summit shelter. Views, when clear, extend across Loch Linnhe to the Inner Hebrides and east to the Cairngorms. The weather is notoriously unpredictable - the summit is cloud-covered for over 300 days per year, and temperatures rarely rise above freezing in winter.

Popular Routes to the Summit

The Mountain Track (Pony Track) from Glen Nevis is the most frequented route, rising in a long zig-zag path suitable for walkers with good fitness.

More experienced hikers reach the summit from the south-east, climbing via the Carn Mòr Dearg Arête, a graceful, exposed ridge linking Ben Nevis with its neighbour Carn Mòr Dearg (1220m, P162m). Winter climbers scale the north face gullies, which offer some of the best ice and mixed climbing in the UK, including famous routes such as Tower Ridge, Point Five Gully, and Orion Face Direct.

Other items of interest

Ben Nevis supports unique alpine and sub-arctic flora, including moss campion and alpine saxifrage. Environmental management focuses on path restoration and erosion control, due to the heavy visitor pressure of more than 150,000 hikers and climbers annually.

Peakbagger website link - here

Note:  this profile has been generated, under human direction, using AI (ChatGPT), and then human-edited.