Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Highland region of Lochaber, close to Fort William. It is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles, reaching 1,345 metres above sea level. The mountain forms a massif with its neighbours Càrn Mòr Dearg, Aonach Beag and Aonach Mòr, all of which are Munros. Its western and southern flanks rise steeply from Glen Nevis, presenting a massive bulk of rock. The northern cliffs drop some 600 metres to Coire Leis, while the summit is a stony plateau covering about 40 hectares. The mountain attracts around 150,000 visitors a year, with most using the Mountain Track from Glen Nevis. The 700-metre cliffs of the north face are among the highest in Scotland and provide classic scrambles and rock climbs for mountaineers. The Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut offers views of these cliffs. The summit observatory, staffed from 1883 to 1904, produced important meteorological data and inspired physicist C. T. R. Wilson to invent the cloud chamber. At the summit, a large cairn marks the highest point and bears the Ordnance Survey trig point. The Peace Memorial cairn, erected in 1945, honours the fallen of all races and remains Britain’s highest war memorial. On clear days, the view extends over 190 kilometres, taking in peaks such as the Torridon Hills and Lochnagar. The mountain’s geology reveals the remains of a Devonian volcano that collapsed during the Carboniferous period, with concentric ring dikes of granite and basaltic lavas visible near the summit.