-961 days -22 hours -32 mins -5 secs

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Soaring to 1,345m above sea level, Ben Nevis has the distinction of being the highest mountain in the UK. The famous peak attracts 125,000 walkers a year. Whether you're a keen rambler or you just love incredible landscapes, bagging 'the Ben' should be near the top of your Scottish bucket list.

Ben Nevis was once a massive active volcano which exploded and collapsed inwards on itself millions of years ago. From the north, Ben Nevis's shattered north face bears witness to this volcanic birth. Many world-famous summer rock and winter ice climbs have been established on the steep and intimidating cliffs.

Ben Nevis Ascent

The popular Mountain Track (sometimes called the Tourist Track or the Pony Track) is the easiest route up Ben Nevis and travels 16km (10 miles) up and down the mountain's benign western bulk. The track begins at the Ben Nevis Inn, at Achintee on the east side of Glen Nevis about 2 km from the town centre of Fort William, just above sea level. The track starts with a steep climb to the halfway Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, zig-zagging on rocky paths up to the summit plateau.

At the summit, a cairn marks the highest point. Your reward on a clear day will be the incredible panoramic views as far as Northern Ireland. You may be able to spot other iconic peaks such as the Torridon hills, or south to Ben Lomond. A ruined weather observatory, which was opened in 1883, is also found on the summit. It closed in 1904 but can be used for shelter in emergencies.

If you are reasonably fit and conditions are good you should be able to walk up and down Ben Nevis in six to eight hours, but slower walkers may take longer, so good planning and preparation are vital. The weather conditions can change dramatically and the temperature can drop 1 degree C for each 100m of ascent. This is a full mountain walking experience, which requires proper footwear and good equipment. There can be snow patches on the route year-round and the winds on the summit plateau can be ferocious.

You'll be guided by qualified Mountain Leader and Everest Summiter Ricky Munday.

Overview 

Distance:     16km / 10 miles

Height Gain: 1,345 metres

Target time: 6 - 8 hours

Group Size:  Minimum 4 (Private group)

Date

28 August 2021

Price

Guiding: £65 per person 

Fundraising: £75 per head plus £30 deposit/registration fee

Once you've booked & your booking is confirmed, you'll be sent an information pack and kit list. We can also provide advice on local accommodation and other actvities.

Virtual Tour

View Virtual Tour of Ben Nevis

How do I pronounce Ben Nevis?

Itinerary

Our meeting time & location will be at the Ben Nevis Inn at Achintee (PH33 6TE) where we'll begin the ascent at 08:00. The ascent & descent should take between 6-8 hours, depending on the group fitness, ground & weather conditions. We'll plan to stop briefly every hour or so.

Route Map & Altitude Profile

Is it suitable for me?

Climbing Ben Nevis requires a good level of fitness and you must be able to walk for up to 10 hours over hilly & rocky ground. The route is not technical, but it is a tough walking challenge in terms of distance and time.

Weather & terrain

The weather conditions can change dramatically on Ben Bevis and the temperature can drop 1 degree C for each 100m of ascent. This is a full mountain walking experience, which requires proper footwear and good equipment. There can be snow patches on the route year-round and the winds on the summit plateau can be ferocious. Be prepared for all conditions! You can check some local weather forecasts below.

Southwest Highlands Mountain Forecast

Water on your walk

We recommend a Water-to-Go filter water bottle for this event - it saves you carrying extra weight on this long hill day and you can fill up safely and drink water from the Red Burn at halfway on ascent & descent.

What’s included?

  1. Mountain Leader on a 1:12 ratio
  2. Live GPS tracking & shareable links for family/friends
  3. 20% discount for Montane
  4. 15% discount for Cotswold Outdoor
  5. 15% discount for Open Air
  6. 20% discount on Water-to-Go bottles
  7. 25% discount on Uphill Athlete training plans

What’s Excluded? 

  • Accommodation (but we can provide advice on options)
  • Return transport from Glasgow to Fort William
  • Transport to/from your accommodation to our event meet point
  • Personal Food & Drink

Kit & Equipment

Download our UK summer hillwalking kit list below

UK Summer Kit List

Safety

Your safety is our top priority. Our activities are fully risk assessed and we hold Public Liability Insurance via Lockton LLP. Our leaders carry a mountain first aid kit, an emergency shelter, a fully charged mobile phone & spare battery, spare warm clothing & emergency food and we have two-way radio contact with all of our guides at all times during an event. We also hold a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) Operator Licence. We use a GPS tracking service to ensure that our office always knows where we are, and we provide a public link so your family & friends can follow your progress.

Leader

Inspire Alpine® founder Ricky Munday will lead you on this trip.

How to book

Book below by choosing your ticket type. You can choose:

  • Pay full payment online: £65
  • Pay deposit online: £30

If you choose deposit only, you'll also be asked if you'd like to pay your balance by raising funds for our social mission, which means you’ll have nothing else to pay.

You'll receive an email acknowledging receipt of your payment/booking. You'll also need to read and agree to both our UK Trip Booking Terms & Conditions and our Participation Agreement & you'll be asked to confirm this during Step 1 when selecting your ticket type. 

UK Booking Terms & Conditions Participation Agreement  

After booking, you'll receive a second email requiring you to complete our online UK Trip Booking & Medical Declaration Form, which must be completed before we can confirm your booking. Each individual participant must complete this form so if you’re booking on behalf of a group you must ask each member of your group to complete this.

Once you've submitted your UK Trip Booking & Medical Declaration Form, if you have a balance to pay, we'll email you a payment link and this will include our bank details. 

Fundraise for us

Rather than paying your balance, you can alternatively choose to raise funds to support our social mission - with this option, you pay your non-refundable registration fee of £30 when booking and pledge to raise a minimum amount of sponsorship (£75) for our own social projects with disadvantaged young people. We can host fundraising pages directly on our website and you can read some short case studies about our social impact. Read more about fundraising for Inspire Alpine®.

Fundraise for Inspire Alpine® Our Social Impact Set up a fundraising page

What happens if the trip cannot run due to Covid-19?

Your safety is our top priority. Please rest assured that if your event cannot go ahead due to Government-imposed Covid-19 restrictions, we'll offer you a number of options including the chance to:

  • postpone your trip to a later departure of the same event (this year or next)
  • join any other UK event in our portfolio (this year or next)
  • receive a refund of monies paid for the challenge

What if there is no official advice against travel, but I want to cancel?

We respect that you may feel more comfortable staying at home, and not travelling regardless of the official advice. If you choose to cancel, we’ll action your request but where there is no Government advice against travel to at the time of cancellation, our standard cancellation terms will apply.

Donate You can directly support our social mission to close the attainment gap. We support disadvantaged young people to have higher aspirations and feel more confident & resilient. Find out more

Booking for this event has now closed.