Walking up Ben Nevis - any tips?

[zerofeeling]

Early September. I've been saying I'll do this for years and somehow it never happened but I've finally arranged it. Just me and adult ds, we're both pretty active people (even though I'm overweight 😬) ds has been up Scaffel Pike and we both hiked up Snowden a couple of years ago.

Any special tips we should know for Ben Nevis? Is the weather likely to be ok at that time or completely unknown? Thanks!

I was on a guided tour recently and the guide said it can be very cold up there, including in summer. We couldn’t see the summit because of clouds, however he said he wouldn’t be surprised if there was snow there, hail, rain, etc!

He said it takes 6-8 hours to climb, and the same to come back down.

Goodness me, I assume he meant actual climbing? According to what I've read it takes about 4 hours to walk up so allow around 8 hours for the whole thing? We were really lucky when we went up Snowden, it was early March but really bright and clear with thick snow at the summit. Beautiful!

I would say its a lot tougher than Snowden, but I found it easier than scafell pike. Make sure you have proper water proofs and yes it can be really cold. Underfoot there's a lot of large and small stones so walking poles are helpful.

It took us 4 hours up and about 3 back down. Average fitness levels…. Nevis isn’t ‘difficult’, it’s just long and winding. Make sure to have short but regular pit stops, with jelly babies, mars bars, plenty of liquids! Just the usual for any long hike.

I do recommend walking poles as the tracks are bouldery!

Good Luck! It’s a beautiful place

Tagging as I've done the other two main UK mountains but not Ben Nevis. Although I've just discovered that Scafell Pike is just under 1000m. Gah!

Anyone prepared to put their age up would also be fab - I'm currently 66 and need to prepare...

PS Good luck OP.

I’m 41! If you’ve got up Snowden then Nevis is easier - even easier than the Llanberis path which I thought was much steeper than Nevis!

Check the weather forecast & take a map & compass. In thick cloud it gets very disorienting. Dress for 10/15 degrees colder than the starting temperature.

register your phone for the emergency SMS service- just in case.

Easier than Snowden?! That blows my mind 🤯 Great to know though and I'll definitely follow your tip re jelly babies and trekking poles thank you 😊

I climbed Ben Nevis last year (did the 3 peaks over 3 days) and it’s not too bad although it did seem never ending due to the curves. We went in May and there was still snow and very cold at the top so take extra layers and a hat.

Lots of haribo got me up!

Time wise it took 7.5 hours in total.

A walking pole can be very helpful especially on the way down

Don’t carry too much that’s all i can say. I carried a tonne of equipment none of it used and wanted to throw it all off a cliff by the end going down. It’s a long day but perfectly doable.

It's not the climb up Nevis that got me, it was the descent. I found it really tough on my ankles, so I'd recommend boots with really good support and the walking poles (I've never used them but sure they would have been a great help).

It's not a difficult climb, but it is constant. We did up and down in about 6.5 hours (and ate at the top).

Plenty of layers, it's freezing up there.

Please make sure someone knows your route and approximate timings. The weather can change in seconds and Mountain Rescue need to know where you are likely to be!

Sounds like that's about the optimum time length - I'll allow 8 hours and as long as we set off early enough to ensure we're back in daylight we can take our time - I'm hoping to get great views along the way even if it's cloudy at the top. Now I need to decide between Haribos and jelly babies..😂

I did it in May and there were a couple of miles of snow at the top. It’s very bouldery in parts. Definitely a knee support and/or trek pole for the way down.

This is where I'm going to struggle with my extra weight I think - the impact of the descent and possible slips, trekking poles will certainly help. Desperately trying to get as much off as possible in the next month! 😬

The descent was definitely worse than the ascent for me - knees and ankles.

A friend did it in the last year. She’s 60 and runs every day so quite fit. Don’t know how long it took her.

I'm 58 - I've meaning to do it since I was 40

Cheap sweets? You’ll need to take with you proper food like a big sandwich, nuts, fruit, and plenty of water or tea/coffee.
Don’t forget the toilet paper 😄

Did it June, hot at the bottom, snow at the top. Found it pretty easy going up but going down was really painful on my knees. It was my favourite out of BN, Scafell and Snowdon.

Thanks so much! I've heard the main route to the Ben Nevis summit is a bit of a motorway so that's encouraging.

Go for it! My fitness fell off a cliff around 63.

Where are you starting from? The ridiculously expensive Caledonian Sleeper goes from Euston to Fort William if that helps...

Yes.

I came down from Scafell Pike with a younger fitter friend (maybe 20 years ago) and trid to keep up with him. Just don't. (I ended up with water on the knee that was a problem for months.) As you say, use poles. Take it carefully. Report back.