Ben Nevis – Facts, Questions and Answers

How Long Will It Take Me To Climb Ben Nevis?

How long it takes to climb Ben Nevis really depends on how fit you are and how many breaks you take but a rough guide is it will take you around 3½ - 4½ hours to climb it via the Mountain Track in summer under reasonable weather conditions. The descent from the summit back to your starting point will normally take approx. 2½ - 3½ hours.

If you or one of your party is slower than average then it can take a lot longer.

In winter conditions and especially with snow on the ground, climbing to the summit of Ben Nevis via the Mountain Track can take up to 8 hours (or more) with a descent time of around half that so particular care must be taken to plan around sunrise and sunset times.

Naismith's Rule

The most common way of estimating your time is to use Naismith's Rule, a system devised by William W. Naismith, a Scottish mountaineer, in 1892, to calculate time taken to climb mountains. There have been various tweaks and adjustments added over the years but essentially the rule of thumb has withstood the test of time quite well.

He calculated that it would take 1 hour for every 3 miles PLUS 1 hour for every 2,000 feet of ascent. In metric terms that would be 1 hour for every 5 km and 1 hour for every 600m of ascent.

Naismith's can be broken down further into times for speed and distance...

Naismith's Timing Chart

and also time that should be added for metres of ascent...

Naismith's Ascent and Time Added

During reasonable summer weather, using Naismith's we can calculate the time to be added just on the ascent part of the rule: 135 mins. The distance to the summit of Ben Nevis is approx. 8,500 m so if you can sustain a pace of 5 kph for the duration of the walk and don't take any breaks the distance travelled part of the rule gives 102 mins.

Add them both together to arrive at a figure of 237 mins (3 hours 57 min).Obviously it is different for everyone and some people can zoom up Ben Nevis much faster than others. Generally speaking, the fitter you are the faster you will get to the summit. But it isn't a race (except when it is) so you should take the time to lift your head to look around you during your walk to enjoy some of that unique and spectaular scenery. If you don't, all you will remember of climbing Ben Nevis is a stony path and not much else.

Sponsored EventsI am planning a sponsored event - who do I need to contact to get permission to climb Ben Nevis?

If your sponsored event is for 10 people or less then you do not need to seek permission from anyone to climb Ben Nevis.If your sponsored event is for more than 10 people and you intend to use the Glen Nevis Visitor Center car park and other facilities you will need to get in touch with the Visitor Center. A fee may apply. There may also be timetable clashes with other events so again, get in touch with the Visitor Center.

I want to bury / throw away my apple cores, banana skins or sandwich crusts - they're biodegradable, right?

No! Ben Nevis (or any mountain environment) is a fragile ecosystem that has taken millenia to evolve. It has been estimated that a single banana peel will take over two years to appreciably break down and up to five years to disintegrate entirely. During that time the non-native organisms involved in breaking down the banana peels, apple cores and other food items are having a negative impact on the native organisms' environment. The golden rule is - if you take it in, take it out.

How much does it cost to climb Ben Nevis?

Climbing Ben Nevis is free. There is, however, a charge to use the car park at the Glen Nevis Visitor Center, currently, £ 3 per car and £ 10 per minibus / motorhome / coach, per day.

Mountain Track

The Mountain Track up Ben NevisThe track up Ben Nevis commonly referred to as the 'Tourist Route,' the 'Tourist Track' or the 'Pony Track' is in fact the old access route to the now ruined Observatory and was designed as a rough bridle path for ponies.It was properly designated as the 'Mountain Track' around 2004 in order to move away from what was considered the misleading title of 'Tourist Route' as it was felt that the latter persuaded the unwary that the route to the top of the mountain with what is arguably the fiercest mountain weather conditions in the Scotland, is a relatively simple walk suitable for a spur of the moment ascent by unprepared visitors.

Signpost with Achintee in the background - © Ben-Nevis.com 2009

The Mountain Track to the summit (also known as the Ben Path, the Pony Track or

the Tourist Route) remains the simplest and most popular route of ascent. It begins at Achintee on the east side of Glen Nevis about 2 km (1.5 miles) from Fort William town centre, at around 20 metres above sea level.

Footbridge from Glen Nevis - © Ben-Nevis.com 2009

Although it wasn't always the case bridges from the Visitor Centre and the youth hostel now allow access from the west side of Glen Nevis and therefore many visitors these days choose to join the Mountain track from the Glen Nevis Visitor Center car park on the other side of the River Nevis where it can be easily accessed by using the footbridge and following the footpath for a short distance where it then joins the Mountain Track itself.

Mountain Track - © Ben-Nevis.com 2009

Further up the Mountain Track - © Ben-Nevis.com 2009

Smaller zig-zags on the way to Lochan Meall (halfway lochan) - © Ben-Nevis.com 2009

The track climbs steeply via several small zig-zags to the saddle by Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe (known as the halfway lochan) at 570m, then ascends the remaining 700 metres up the stony west flank of Ben Nevis in a series of larger, but less steep, zig-zags that criss-cross the face of the mountain's western side.

Large zig-zags on the flank of Ben Nevis - © Ben-Nevis.com 2009

It is well-made and maintained throughout its length, and, thanks to the zig-zags, not unusually steep apart from in the initial stages, with a gradient of not more than 1 in 5 thanks to its initial purpose of construction as a path for ponies to supply the observatory.

Safety - safety on the Scottish Mountains

Safety First!Make no mistake - bad choices on Ben Nevis can cost you your life!

The weather on Ben Nevis is arguably the most ferocious to be found anywhere in the UK. From hurricane-force winds of 100 mph+ to whiteout blizzard conditions, it has them all, often at the same time. The weather can also change from clear and sunny to heavy rain and driving winds with almost zero visibility within minutes and almost without warning. Even the most experienced climbers and walkers have been caught out.

Include the precipitous cliffs that Ben Nevis is famed for, the large stoney tundra of the summit and it is little wonder then, that Ben Nevis also has a reputation as a killer.

Observatory ruins shrouded in hill fog - Ben Nevis Summit

This photograph was taken in mid-July where the conditions were freezing cold, 60 mph winds, and driving, horizontal rain.

"I only have light clothing - is it safe to climb Ben Nevis?"Ben Nevis is a mountain, the UK's highest, and as such is exposed to the absolute worst conditions the weather can throw at it including bone-chilling winds, sub-zero temperatures, heavy rain, snow and blizzards - sometimes all at once, therefore it is essential that anyone climbing it takes suitable precautions and dresses appropriately. Light clothing that is adequate at sea level is unlikely to provide suitable protection except on the fairest of summer days. Attempting to climb Ben Nevis without adequate protection, including waterproofs and warm clothing, could result in hypothermia and possibly death.

"I don't have a map or compass - will it be okay to climb Ben Nevis?"The short answer is 'no.' Navigation on Ben Nevis is notoriously difficult, even for experienced walkers and climbers. Even on the best of summer days hill fog can roll in at any time to shroud the mountain and is extremely disorientating, often resulting in people walking in the wrong direction. There have, unfortunately, been deaths caused by disorientated people mistakenly following the wrong route in the fog.

There's a path - surely it is safe?The path to the top of Ben Nevis, while well built and easy to follow in clear conditions on a summer's day, peters out near the top as a result of the rocky terrain. The route to the summit marker also passes within a few feet of the precipitous cliffs and 2,000 foot drop of the North Face. Even in mid-summer snow is often corniced and overhanging the clefts of the cliffs, meaning that the unwary could find themselves standing on nothing more than unstable snow hanging over nothing but air.

Unwary walker stands on cornice - Ben Nevis Summit

If I get into trouble surely I can phone Mountain Rescue?

Yes, of course. If you are in real difficulty you can telephone the Emergency Services, however, there is no guarantee you will get a phone signal at all as coverage on Ben Nevis is patchy or that they will be able to reach you in time. Helicopters, for example, cannot fly rescue operations in low cloud or high winds. Ground-based Mountain Rescue will do their utmost to get to you but again, even they have their limits and cannot attempt a rescue if conditions are too dangerous for them to operate. Even in ideal conditions it can take several hours for a ground-based MRT to get to your location. Often, precious time is spent pinpointing a casualty's location.

If you think there's a chance you might need to call the Emergency Services before you attempt to climb Ben Nevis then perhaps it is better to postpone it for another day?

However, should you get into genuine difficulty, do not hesitate to call them! Your phone should be kept in an inside pocket where it's warm and dry and you need to do your utmost to preserve the battery life. They may need to speak to you several times.

From Mountain Rescue

"Mountain Rescue Teams, across the UK, make use of the latest technology with the aim of pinpointing lost walkers. While they have the ability to locate smart phones with bespoke SARLOC software, this technology does rely on the availability of a data signal which, as we all know, can be unreliable in the hills and mountains of Scotland.

Therefore, in a call to all hillwalkers and mountaineers, we have decided to ask you to help us! If you own a smart phone we would like to ask you to consider installing the 'free' Ordnance Survey app OS LOCATE onto your Apple or Android phone. This simple app provides an accurate, easily readable UK Grid Reference that you can provide to the emergency operator, should you ever have to call on the services of Mountain Rescue.

At the very least, it could mean the difference between a brief spell on the hill or a

cold, long wait as search teams methodically sweep mountain and glen for you. For further information please refer to www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/os-locate"