Ben Nevis: Scotland's Highest
Monday, April 20: To Scotland.
So, on Monday, April 20th, we flew to Edinburgh. We arrived late in the day and stayed in an apartment in the city. I am definitely not a fan of big cities, so I was glad we could pick up the campervan halfway through the next day. After a brief orientation and some paperwork, we set off for the Highlands. We drove along a famous tourist route, the A82, heading towards Fort William, where we had booked a campsite. However, after two hours of driving, everyone had had enough. We spotted a viewpoint, parked the campervan there, and were rewarded with a stunning sunset over the mountains. The next day, we drove the final stretch—passing the Three Sisters of Glencoe—and arrived at the campsite. From there, I had a perfect view of my objective: the CMD Arête on Ben Nevis. I could see there was still quite a bit of snow on the mountain, but fortunately, I had brought my crampons and ice axe from home.
Wednesday, April 24: Carn Mor Dearg.
My alarm went off at 5:15 a.m. this morning. I wanted to start early so I could get back to the others on time. I had arranged a taxi to save myself the 5-kilometer trek to the start of the route. At 6:00 a.m., I was dropped off at the North Face car park, and fifteen minutes later, I set off. I headed up a steep forest path towards Càrn Mòr Dearg—standing 1,220 meters tall—which was the first mountain on the route. After the forest, the path leveled out a bit, allowing me to pick up the pace. From there, I also got a view of Ben Nevis and the route ahead. After the flatter section, I reached the foot of Càrn Mòr Dearg, where the terrain grew steeper again. It was also quite boggy everywhere—a familiar sight in Scotland. As I climbed higher, the boggy ground quickly gave way to rocky terrain. After gaining another few hundred meters in elevation, I reached the first summit.
Over the CMD Arête to the summit of the Ben Nevis
From this point, I had a great view of the impressive north face of “the Ben” and the ridge I planned to traverse. The view across the Scottish Highlands was absolutely stunning, too. Scotland really is such a beautiful, rugged country. Snow-capped peaks and blue lochs stretched as far as the eye could see. I took a few quick photos, had a drink and a snack, and then pressed on. I descended towards the ridge, where the terrain became interesting, involving some scrambling and steep drops on either side. The route was clearly visible, and I soon found myself halfway along the ridge. That’s where I met another climber, Mike. I’d realized upon arriving in the country that Scots love a chat, and this was no exception. After chatting in the sunshine for about twenty minutes, I really had to get moving again. We said our goodbyes, and I continued on my way. I made quick work of the rest of the ridge. There wasn’t much snow left here, which allowed me to keep up a good pace. After the ridge, I reached a broad plateau where I could see the steeper “snow wall” leading to the summit. I took my ice axe out of my pack and strapped on my crampons. I started heading up and noticed the snow was still firm—perfect. Soft snow is a real hassle, but this way I could keep moving steadily. Halfway up, I stopped briefly to take off an outer layer, as the sun was beating down quite hard. I climbed the final stretch in just a T-shirt and reached the summit of Ben Nevis—at 1,345 meters, the highest mountain in Scotland and the British Isles. It was pretty busy at the top. It is, of course, a beautiful sunny day, and many people have made their way up via the tourist trail. I took a brief break at the summit, snapped some photos, and—naturally—had a chat here and there.
And then it was time for the descent. I had decided to take the tourist route down as well. You can run or walk briskly on a hiking trail, which saves a lot of time. As I walked down the mountain, I saw a stream of people coming up. To the right of the path lay a large snowfield that dropped away quite steeply. I was still wearing my crampons, so I decided to go across the snow. Because it ran in a straight line downwards, I descended the mountain incredibly fast. I estimate I dropped about 400 vertical meters in 20 minutes. But unfortunately, the snow came to an end, and I had to take the path down. I stowed my crampons, had a quick drink, and headed down the mountain at full speed. Just before noon, I stepped onto the terrace of the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre and flopped down onto the grass. I was back down the mountain about five and a half hours after starting. I sent a message to the taxi service to see if they could pick me up again. The taxi driver told me that the route normally takes between eight and ten hours. That makes my time today a pretty impressive pace. I was back at the campsite by 12:30, and we continued our holiday. We visited the Isle of Skye, where we looked at dinosaur footprints and went fossil hunting. Later, in the Cairngorms, I went for a short trail run, summiting two peaks around 700 and 800 meters high and enjoying the surroundings. Scotland was a fantastic destination, and it was a wonderful holiday.
