Ben Nevis

Ritz for d'Lack

Hey, I'm throwin this one out there for you all to judge -

How difficult are Carrauntuohil and Ben Nevis to achieve? I know it will obviously depend on experience etc but I was a Scout for years and Leader for a couple of years so I'm well used to a bitta rough... Would it be safe to go it alone or does it need a couple of folks?

Appreciate any help on this.... :eek:

dereko1969

i wouldn't advise doing either alone.
ben nevis is fairly easy i did it as a kid in the scouts haven't done the other one.

big b

One of my brothers does the Ben Nevis race in under 2 hours.

For a less competitive journey, allow 6 to 8 hours. Having checked the weather forecast - things can change VERY quickly.

Oh, and yes, you can do it alone if you must. Make sure your mobile's fully charged.

Ritz for d'Lack

hmmm... Poses me a problem as I don't know anyone who's interested... Bollix... Ah well, the search goes on.

Glad of the advise in any case. If you did it as a Scout, it can't be that bad... And Ben Nevis is higher than Carrauntuohil so, one would hope that it's do-able... Cheers Dereko...

oh well

know of plenty of scouts who have done Carrauntuohil aged from 12/14 so it is do-able, but you would want to be fairly fit, not just a Sunday walker. Definitely wouldn't recommend doing it alone, it can be dangerous in parts, very windy and cloud/mist comes in fairly fast. There are plenty of parts of mountain where mobile phones don't work so if you're stuck ........... 4/6 hours seems to be the average for the scouts. Don't know how it compares to Ben Nevis for height, but apparently there are some areas where if you don't know where you are going it can be dangerous.

Wonder can you hire a guide?

big b

You can indeed hire a guide for Ben Nevis, but if you've checked with the Tourist Office that the weather is forecast ok, you really don't need a guide.

The footpath is well established & easily spotted, and above the grass level there are very regular cairns either side of the path to keep you right.

It's a trawl up there, with many false summits, but well, well worth it for the view on a clear day. It's hill-walking on a footpath, don't scare yourself out of doing it!

Ritz for d'Lack

Thanks Big B!!! Now That's what I'm talking about...!!! What's the Best place to start from / best way to get there?

dereko1969

Fort William is the nearest big town I think from memory. The one thing when we went up it was the weather was lovely down below but there was a serious amount of snow on the summit (this was july if i remember correctly) and we went very near an edge up at the top that we didn't even notice was an edge/cliff until we were warned away by other climbers at the top there was very poor visibility at the top too.

Ritz for d'Lack

Nice one Dereko,
Was there many climbers scaling it when you were there?
Would be better to fly CrimeAir to Prestwick or get the Boat to Stranraer or Troon?

big b

I'd get the Ryanair flight to Prestwick, showing your boarding card on the train will get you half-price rail travel to Fort William & back.

There are 2 places to start your ascent, one from Glen Nevis, opposite the Youth Hostel. This is the shorter route but is much steeper than the Achintee Farm route. The paths meet at about 800 feet. I don't think there's anywhere else on the path that's as steep as the start from Glen Nevis.

You will indeed see patches of snow near the summit, even in the middle of summer. Dereko is right, in that you can easily stray from the path in poor visibility - and that's exactly why I said before about checking the weather before you go. DO NOT rely on the fact it may be a bright sunny morning, things can & do change very quickly up there.

A friend of mine did a survey for the tourist board many years ago, and in summer there could be up to 1000 people using the path every day! Not all of these would go to the top, but it's funny to pass well-equiped hillwalkers, then the next people you see are granny, mam & the kids with normal shoes & a Tesco bag of lemonade & crisps!

There's loads of accommodation of all types in & around Fort William & the tourist baord are very good at sorting that for you.

Any more questions, just ask!

big b

*

borrowed_tune

Anyone know any good mountains or routes in scotland that would be less busy than Ben Nevis? Or is Ben Nevis worth it anyway. I have done Carantouhill (can't spell it though), Snowden and Mont Blanc with friends. I'm not really a peak-bagger at heart though and would prefer something quieter a bit more off beaten track. Any suggestions?

big b

borrowed_tune wrote: »

Anyone know any good mountains or routes in scotland that would be less busy than Ben Nevis? Or is Ben Nevis worth it anyway. I have done Carantouhill (can't spell it though), Snowden and Mont Blanc with friends. I'm not really a peak-bagger at heart though and would prefer something quieter a bit more off beaten track. Any suggestions?

If you're thinking of doing this soon, the summer rush is over on Ben Nevis & it's well worth the effort.
As an alternative, why not try walking the West Highland Way & you coulddivert off to do any peaks that take your fancy?

Ritz for d'Lack

big b wrote: »

If you're thinking of doing this soon, the summer rush is over on Ben Nevis & it's well worth the effort.
As an alternative, why not try walking the West Highland Way & you coulddivert off to do any peaks that take your fancy?

ya, I agree... Had a look at the West Highland Way Myself - could be the path less travelled as opposed to Ben Nevis, it's just that I have this fascination with beating the biggest put in front of me... I would like to do the highland way too... Well worth it from what i've read of it...

See Ye

Used to go up to this area a lot altho' I've never been up Ben Nevis.
We usually based ourselves by the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe - there are some really challenging routes (such as the Annoch Eagach Ridge) but if the weather has closed in you can do some nice low level stuff - going up to the "hidden valley" or circuiting one of the hills at low level. Something like the Buchaille Etive Mor is nice because you get views of both Glencoe and Glen Etive.

Somewhere quieter still but still accessible would be going up behind the Glenfinnan viaduct - I know there's a munro up there, I've done it, but I'll be buggered if I can remember the name :rolleyes:

If you do decide to do the West Highland Way you can opt in or out of going up Ben Lomond early on then have quite a climb coming out of Rannoch Moor and over into Kinlochleven up the "Devil's Steps". A looooong time ago I walked the way, early in the season, maybe even Easter time, mixed camping and hostels - it was one of the best times I've had walking. We did meet some other folk but it was far from crowded. Why not do the Way You can go at your own pace, make your last day a short one, have a night in the Glen Nevis hostel then go up the Ben the next day ?

BuffyBot

Moving this to Outdoor Pursuits as it's probably more suitable there - and more likely to attract the right people with the right advice

gollem_1975

Ritz for d'Lack wrote: »

Nice one Dereko,
Was there many climbers scaling it when you were there?
Would be better to fly CrimeAir to Prestwick or get the Boat to Stranraer or Troon?

another possible route is Dublin -> Inverness on Aer Arann.

the Dublin -> Prestwick route and rail to Fortwilliam ( a town with all the charm of a motorway services station ) sounds the best option

don't do what i did .

car from Dublin -> larne . ferry from Larne to Cairnryan .Cairnryan to Fortwilliam .the road from glasgow to fortwilliam , i think its the a62 is the worst in scotland ( and I don't drive ) . journey took a whole day!

one other thing about Ben Nevis / Fortwilliam :

the midges : they take no prisoners!
so don't forget the insect repellent and maybe even invest in a mesh head covering .

big b

gollem_1975 wrote: »

another possible route is Dublin -> Inverness on Aer Arann.

the Dublin -> Prestwick route and rail to Fortwilliam ( a town with all the charm of a motorway services station ) sounds the best option

don't do what i did .

car from Dublin -> larne . ferry from Larne to Cairnryan .Cairnryan to Fortwilliam .the road from glasgow to fortwilliam , i think its the a62 is the worst in scotland ( and I don't drive ) . journey took a whole day!

one other thing about Ben Nevis / Fortwilliam :

the midges : they take no prisoners!
so don't forget the insect repellent and maybe even invest in a mesh head covering .

I have to take issue with some of this.
Fort William has all the charm of a motorway service station? Sorry, but it's much worse than that! But if you're there & going for a pint, the bar below the Nevisport shop is most likely to have kindred spirits to chat with.

The road from Glasgow - the A82 - has a really bad 10-mile stretch alongside Loch Lomond. Apparently the railway won't sell them the land to straighten it. Other than that stretch, the road isn't bad, it's single lanes but outwith the height of summer you can pass slow traffic easy enough. The last few miles before Fort W. are twisty enough too, and home to some humourless traffic cops. Even so, it's a 2 hour drive from Glasgow airport, nearer 3 hours from Prestwick.
Gollem is spot on about the midges - nothing will prepare you for the ferocity of those little feckers! A very different breed from the Irish variety!

I certainly wouldn't argue with making Glencoe village your base. Beautiful scenic area, handy for all sorts of routes & some good pubs

testicle

Anyone know what time of year the Carn Mor Dearg arete usually heads into Winter Mountaineering mode, as opposed to hillwalking mode?