Photos

BEN NEVIS
Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe

Ben Nevis (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis,) commonly translated as “Venomous mountain” or “mountain with it’s head in the clouds” is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of Scotland, close to the town of Fort William.

The summit, at 1,344 meters (4,409 ft) above sea level, features the ruins of an observatory, which was permanently staffed between 1883 and 1904.

The 1883 Pony Track to the summit (also known as the Ben Path, the Mountain Path 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 meters above sea level. Bridges from the Visitor Centre and the youth hostel now allow access from the west side of Glen Nevis. The path climbs steeply to the saddle by Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe (pictured above) at 570 m, then ascends the remaining 700 meters up the stony west flank of Ben Nevis in a series of zigzags’. It is well-made and maintained throughout its length and, thanks to the zigzags’, not unusually steep apart from in the initial stages.