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Is Ben Nevis wheelchair friendly?

The gondola is accessible to visitors with disabilities, with a wheelchair ramp to allow chairs up to 60cm wide onto the Gondola. Facilities and Services: Nevis Range has a range of facilities and services that are designed to be accessible to visitors with disabilities.



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The Gondola transports visitors from 100m to 650m up the mountain and takes approximately 15 minutes each way.

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There is NO CHAIRLIFT ON BEN NEVIS. You can only climb Ben Nevis on foot.

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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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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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Toilet issues Please 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.

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If you're an inexperienced climber or attempting Nevis for the first time, we'd recommend going with a guide. Not only will they keep you safe while enjoying the challenge, but they'll make the trip way more fun (and you might even pick up some bonus mountaineering skills on the way).

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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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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.

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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 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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The only toilets near Ben Nevis are in the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre (there are none at the summit).

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Be safe on Ben Nevis ! During the winter the mountain is cloaked in snow and ice and in these conditions only mountaineers equipped with ice axes and crampons should attempt the ascent. Winter conditions can occur from October to May.

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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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We offer Private Ben Nevis Guided Walks via the Ben Nevis Mountain path with prices starting at £33 per person. Or for people traveling on their own, we also offer Ben Nevis Guided Open Group Walks for £100 per person.

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Just remember that some days there are over 1000 people on the mountain and there are no toilet facilities. To be safe take bottled water, at least 2 litres per person on a sunny day.

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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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Novice walkers – 6+ hours Hikers 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.

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