Walking Ben Nevis
 

Hi all,

I've been thinking about trying to climb Ben Nevis in Scotland. I have little experience with hill-walking, but last Summer I spent a fair amount of time backpacking around the countryside. I've heard that Ben Nevis is the lagest Munro in Scotland, and was just wondering if anyone had any advice on perhaps the best time of the year to go, what to carry, etc.

Thanks so much!

i went up in august. be prepared for rain ...lots of rain. chances are you will be caught in at least one downpour. when we went, we had maybe 3 or 4 downpour/sunny cycles. the weather changes VERY fast.

bring some survival type stuff in case you have a problem. we didn't go crazy with this but just enough food, water, extra clothing etc.

This is a sensible website
http://www.mountainwalk.co.uk/benneviswalk.html

Even the "Tourist Path" is quite strenuous and you'll need to be physically fit.

ladysmith,

The West Highlands have a generally unsettled climate and a lot of rain, especially (and increasingly) from July into the autumn, see http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/...05:2100:03038W
I would suggest late May or June might be cooler and drier than later in the year.

In terms of clothing you need to prepare for the worst, and I don't just mean the weather but also the risk of being immobile as a result of an accident. Boots, full waterproofs, spare sweater, hat and gloves are essential. Water may be particularly important if the weather is hot.

The year "we" walked Ben Nevis, we arranged for a guide to take us up. He came round the hotel the evening before to inform us of the sober weather report. Because the weather was supposed to seriously worsen during the day, the options were to not go or to start much earlier in the morning. My husband chose the latter option. He was doing some true mountain climbing at the time and felt confident with this guide.

I realized that I was nowhere near as fit as the two guys and would hold them back on a day where it was important to make time. I ended up staying at the inn at reading in front of the fire, curled up with tea and biscuits. My husband's report was that he would have never been able to stay with the path on his own (we'd read that it was tricky which was why we hired the guide in the first place.)

We did the tourist path in June. The weather was very warm for Scotland at the bottom but at the top a fleece was a must as it was very cool and windy. We just took normal day hike stuff - a jacket, lots of water, snacks. The tourist path is heavily traveled so we didn't worry about other "survival" gear. I do wish I'd had some trekking poles; I'm quite a clutz going downhill and I did land on my rear a few times :-) I was quite shocked at some of the folks attempting the climb - one woman was wearing heals (I hope she didn't plan on going to the top)!! You do need to be quite fit - I'm a runner and I think outside of hiking out of the Grand Canyon this is the most challenging thing I've done. If we ever get back, I'd like to try a less traveled path.

belle, if you get back, choose a more interesting hill.

ladysmith, I'm sure the best time will be June or September. Nothing would ever get done in Scotland if we waited for good wether, but ideally you want the wind not to be from the west.

Layer- teeshirt; sweter, fleece, waterproof. Trouser- NOT jeans- thick socks and preferably boots, although if you've got proper walking shoes, they may do if you stick to the goat track. Don't take new boots you haven't worn in.

Carry a day bag with the clothes you're not wearing; at least a litre of water, and a fwe few high carbohyrate snacks- kendal Mint Cake (OK- no carbs- but what a sugar rush!) and pork pies are traditional hill fare round here.

if you're fit, you'll manage. Don't go if you can't read a map. Remember that the cloud can descend from an otherwise clear blue sky and leave you blind; and remember that people die on the goat track evey year (tho' very very rarely in summer)

To add to Sheila's thoughtful comments: in addition to carrying and being able to read a map you should have a compass and know how to use it with the map.