How many miles is the ascent? The walk to the top of Ben Nevis is around four miles (about eight and a half to get up and back down). We'd always recommend taking the same route for your descent.
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The first thing to know is that there are two routes up and down Ben Nevis – the Mountain Track (or Tourist Track) and the Carn Mor Dearg Arête which is typically tackled by more experienced climbers. The Mountain Track is doable as a beginner if you have generally good fitness and go prepared for the conditions.
How hard is it to walk Ben Nevis? Most beginner to intermediate hikers would classify Ben Nevis as hard. It's certainly not something to take on without any preparation, but it's completely doable as an amazing challenge!
Climbing Ben Nevis is the equivalent of climbing about 6,725 steps, or nearly 700 flights of stairs. For comparison, that's like climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building four times, except that there's no elevator to take you back down at the end.
Toilet issuesPlease be discreet with your need to go to the toilet. If at all possible try not leaving excreta on the mountain. There are public toilets at the Glen Nevis visitor centre.
The Gondola transports visitors from 100m to 650m up the mountain and takes approximately 15 minutes each way. The Doppelmayr Gondola system comprises of 80 six seat closed cabins running on a continuous 4.6km steel cable weighing 40 tonnes.
The North Face of the mountain offers the greatest challenges of all. The Ledge route is a non-climbing route, but it still has some sections of grade 1 scrambles. You may encounter pockets of snow even in early summer, so it's best to have some knowledge of using ice axes and crampons.
Novice walkers – 6+ hoursHikers attempting Ben Nevis who perhaps don't go on big walks particularly often. By no means an athlete, but reasonably fit enough to scale the peak at their own pace with plenty of room for breaks along the way.
There are no toilets on the mountain, the only access you have to toilets is at the Ben Nevis Visitors center. The opening hours of these change during the year so it is worth checking with them if you have any questions.
Over 130,000 people climb to the summit of Ben Nevis each year. It's a challenging but rewarding experience and anyone wishing to make the trip should be well prepared for changeable weather conditions.
How fit do you have to be to do Ben Nevis? Ben Nevis might not be Everest, but it's no joke. Don't forget, this is the highest point of the entire British Isles. You'll need good cardio fitness to keep walking uphill for 6+ hours, and strong legs, core, and upper body to carry your stuff.
Yes. That's the short answer. I had a relatively straightforward (albeit it tiring) hike with my 7 year old to the summit of Ben Nevis. Of course, there are plenty of variables and things to consider.
Ben Nevis is purportedly the hardest mountain (and highest peak) of the Three Peaks Challenge. That's why people tend to do it first if they're taking the 24 hour challenge.