Ben Nevis vs Croagh Patrick

nails1

I’ve only just hiked Croagh Patrick recently but I am interested now in Ben Nevis. How do the two compare in terms of difficulty and scenery?

Planet X

Croagh Patrick 764m.
Ben Nevis 1,345m.

Just Googled both.

Almost twice as hard? But I'd say much much harder......permanent snow on top? No Idea. I'm sure some of the lads n lassies will correct this.

I'd imagine it would be nice and nippy on top of Nevis

FishOnABike

The following links might be useful:

http://ben-nevis.com/walks/mountain_track/mountain_track.php

http://ben-nevis.com/how-long-to-climb.php

Depending on fitness and weather conditions it's twice as long as trekking up Croagh Patrick or more.

Weather conditions can be a lot worse. It can be frequently shrouded in mist (even if you start with a bright sunny day at sea level).

The track passes close to some severe drops so unless you are confident of navigating in complete whiteout conditions I'd suggest only doing it as part of an organised group with experienced mountain leaders.

I've done it a number of times in Winter conditions but not in Summer but on a clear day there's some great views over the loughs and highlands.

Sassygirl1999

Ben Nevis - hard work and soms prep, best with a team , can't be done barefooted
Croagh Patrick - stroll and no prep - can be done barefooted

Did the Ben Nevis Race last Saturday.

Won't forget that descent for a while.

It was cool and misty at the top, we were in shorts and teeshirts though. No snow this year but it has featured in previous races.

EndaHonesty

I've climbed both. Croagh Patrick many times and Ben Nevis once in summer 2016.

The most common route up Ben Nevis is the Tourist Path (also known as Mountain Track) which is very straightforward to follow. That's the route we chose.

There's a clear path to follow until very near the top where it turns into loose stone. If visibility and your navigation skills are poor it would be quite easy to get into trouble at the top but if you climb it at the weekend there is always a stream of people climbing it so it shouldn't be a problem.
Because of the height it is a long climb are around 17km return but as it's pretty good ground all the way it's very doable.

Other ways to climb it would include Tower Ridge and Carn Mor Dearg Arete ("CMD Arete") but these would be for experienced mountain walkers.

Scotland is class, there are hundreds, if not thousands of amazing mountain walks. Well worth a visit.

Esel

EndaHonesty wrote: »

Other ways to climb it would include Tower Ridge and Carn Mor Dearg Arete ("CMD Arete") but these would be for experienced mountain walkers.

Tower Ridge is not a 'walking' route.

silverharp

I did it years ago , I don't remember it being that difficult. You aren't starting from sea level so the "twice as difficult" might not be so

nim1bdeh38l2cw

Esel wrote: »

Tower Ridge is not a 'walking' route.

Indeed, and I certainly wouldn't be bringing any novices along the CMD Arete either.

Alun

silverharp wrote: »

You aren't starting from sea level ...

Fort William is on the shores of a sea loch, so yes you are, well as close as makes no difference. The pub at the bottom of the start of the path is at roughly 33m ASL.

Alun

The only problems you might encounter is if there's snow at the top which can still be the case until late spring sometimes, and if visibility is poor. There are places where you can get overhanging snow cornices which hide sharp drops to the north which can be particularly tricky when descending from the summit. See http://ben-nevis.com/navigation/navigation.php and scroll down to "Navigating Down From The Summit" for details of the correct route to follow in bad conditions.

silverharp

Alun wrote: »

Fort William is on the shores of a sea loch, so yes you are, well as close as makes no difference. The pub at the bottom of the start of the path is at roughly 33m ASL.

my memory, I pictured it being more inland. If anything I remember Snowdon being harder but either way its a nice day hike once you have done some hill walking leading up to it.