At 1345 metres Ben Nevis is Scotland’s highest and most popular mountain. Thousands of people set off each year on the challenge to climb The Ben. “Ben Nevis” is a translation of the Scottish Gaelic name “Beinn Nibheis”. “Beinn” is a common Gaelic word for “mountain”, “Nibheis” is usually translated as “malicious” or “venomous”. An alternative interpretation is that “Beinn Nibheis” derives from “beinn nèamh-bhathais”, “clouds” and “top of a man’s head”, thus translated as “the mountain with its head in the clouds”.[1]https://www.highlifehighland.com/bennevis/ben-nevis-mountain/about-the-ben/.
Nevis is a popular area attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Well over 100,000 people choose to walk to the summit of the Ben, also the UK’s highest point. And around 60,000 enjoy the wild and rocky route through the Steall Gorge to the stunning Steall Ban waterfall.[2]https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/about-us/where-we-work/ben-nevis
How long does the walk take?
An average time to the summit and back is 7 – 8 hours. Walkers fit enough to try to climb The Three Peaks in 24 hours need to take 5 hours or less. The winner of The Ben Race each September gets to the summit and back in around 90 minutes.[3]https://www.highlifehighland.com/bennevis/tackling-ben-faqs/