Is Ben Nevis hard to navigate?

The ordinary route up Ben Nevis, the 'Mountain Path' (also known as the 'Pony Track' and, misleadingly, the 'Tourist Path') is a technically easy path as these things go. Someone with a reasonable level of walking fitness should be able to ascend in 4-5 hours and descend in a further 2-3 hours.



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It's about 11 miles and should take 4-8 hours. Carn Mor Dearg Arête is a challenging route that's not suitable for beginners – only the most experience hikers and climbers should attempt this route. It has exposed sections and technical graded scrambles and can take up to 13 hours.

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Climbing Ben Nevis is the equivalent of climbing about 6,725 steps or nearly 700 flights of stairs, so you need to be relatively fit and have the appropriate clothing. It is also worth noting that some people believe coming down is just as hard as going up. The biggest factor that affects the difficulty is the weather.

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It's about 11 miles and should take 4-8 hours. Carn Mor Dearg Arête is a challenging route that's not suitable for beginners – only the most experience hikers and climbers should attempt this route. It has exposed sections and technical graded scrambles and can take up to 13 hours.

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I would not ever recommend doing Ben Nevin alone. You may think that as there is a good path to the summit, then you will not get lost but unless you have very good map reading skills and the ability to use a compass competently, the risk is there during bad weather.

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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.

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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.

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If you've ever watched an Everest summit documentary you'll have been made aware of 'Altitude Sickness'. Here in the UK altitude sickness isn't really 'a thing' because the UK's highest mountain (Ben Nevis, Scotland) is 1,340 meters high.

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An average time to the summit and back is 7 – 8 hours. Walkers fit enough to try to climb The Three Peaks in 24 hours need to take 5 hours or less. The winner of The Ben Race each September gets to the summit and back in around 90 minutes.

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Walking poles are recommended but not essential. Many people find they really benefit from the support of walking poles on the way back down. It normally feels much harder going down that it does going up, and walking poles can help a lot.

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The simple answer is; “it depends”. Which I realise, is not simple at all. The answers which you see on the discussions about if you need a guide for Ben Nevis, range from “absolutely; never go without one!” to “I did it crawling on my back in an hour and half, hungover, you'll be fine”.

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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.

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The classic ridges of Ben Nevis are Castle ridge, Tower ridge, North East Buttress and Observatory Ridge. Although all of these routes are classed as rock climbing, there is a large proportion of the ground which is considered scrambling and only a very short section of climbing.

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Climbing Ben Nevis is free. There is, however, a charge to use the car park at the Glen Nevis Visitor Center, currently, £ 4 per car and £ 10 per minibus / motorhome / coach, per day.

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Can a 60 year old climb Ben Nevis? Take your time and he'll do ok. Go up the tourist path with him. There's room for two abreast on the lower section where someone could stay on his outside.

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Yes, you can climb Ben Nevis by yourself if you choose to do the Tourist Trail, but there are plenty of guided climbs too. If you choose to walk Ben Nevis by yourself or with friends, make sure you take the challenge seriously.

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Attempting to climb Ben Nevis without adequate protection, including waterproofs and warm clothing, could result in hypothermia and possibly death.

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What grade is Ben Nevis? Based on the hiking trail rating system, the Mountain Path mostly consists of Class 1 hiking, which means that without snow, it will deliver straightforward hiking, usually on a well-maintained and well-marked trail. You will gain elevation, but you won't require technical equipment to do it.

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