Ben Nevis

MAPS: L41-Ben Nevis, T7 - Ben Nevis & Glencoe.Start & Finish:Glen Nevis YH (NN 128718) Length:9mls. Time:9hrs Apx. Descent & Ascent :2728m 8950ft.Access : June to September

Difficulty :High mountain walk a bit easy scrambling only to be tackled in good conditions.

Start at the Youth Hostel in Glen Nevis on the Mountain Track. The track continues to rise as it skirts the western side of Meall an t-Suidhe, zigzagging twice and crossing a couple of streams by means of a couple of small metal bridges. The track then starts to veer northwards, following the western bank of the Red Burn Gully. Another, larger zigzag takes you up to the saddle between Ben Nevis to the east and Meall ant-Suidhe to the west.The track passes to the east of Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe that lies in the saddle. It then turns to the right to start the ascent up the western side of Ben Nevis. At NN 1473 7186 the track crosses the Red Burn under a waterfall, and this marks the halfway point of the ascent.From the Red Burn the track continues up the northwestern shoulder of Ben Nevis in a series of four giant zigzags, and the gradient of the track starts to flatten out as it heads in a westwards direction. One last, but thankfully short, ascent of McLean's Steep leads to the summit plateau. Across here careful navigation is needed to reach the summit cair. The summit plateau is bounded on the northeastern side by some very steep drops, including Tower Gully and Gardyloo Gully, which the path runs adjacent to. Be careful to avoid these gullies,down on the same route that you came up.

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