Marc and Carolyn's Cycle Touring Adventures : Scotland 2025

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British isles, at 1,345 meters. The Gaelic translation of Nevis is "mountain with its head in the clouds". Our translation is "mountain with its head in the rainy, windy and cold clouds."

We were not sure if we would have the chance to summit Ben Nevis. It is weather dependent and can be quite nasty. But the forecast this morning said 20-40% chance of rain, and 2° Celsius. We had the right clothes packed and off we went.

In the Visitors Center the lovely lady behind the counter said "oh yes, you have the weather for it today". So that was reassuring. She also gave me a set of hiking poles to borrow as I had left mine in our room 😳 "oh no problem love, you take these and take care".

Good start. 8:30 am. Start your Strava.

But as we walked the 50 meters to the bridge, the rain started. First scramble of the day - rain coats on, rain covers on backpacks secured. We are off.

The rain didn't last and the scenery was beautiful.

The path near the bottom is flat rock stairs, a little uneven but actually very easy on the feet and the knees.

Indeed with all of the climbing we got nice and hot. Off with the rain coats and off with the wool layer. We were in our tank tops for about an hour.

But when we reached the half way point (this mountain loch), the wind picked up and our wool layer was welcomed.

About 2 hours in we climbed into to the cloud. The air got misty and refreshing.

The path changed a few times today. Lovely big boulders with layered evidence of glacier times (I travel with a geologist 😉) and then some spots of much smaller rock, more like walking along the shores of Lake Ontario.

I didn't get many photos on the way up. We were focused on the climb and it started to really rain. This one, below gives you a sense for some of the terrain.

We made it to the summit at noon. 3.5 hours of climbing, 1,300+ meters, 8 km.

We were very very cold. The wind was howling, the wind chill was bitter. And the rain was persistent.

A few photos with frozen fingers. The terrain is quite amazing and the sheer drops were stunning and scary. No signs, no fences, just trust in good judgement - don't take a wrong step.

We loved the line in the brochure that said "do not expect a helicopter rescue". Noted!

"No rest for the wicked" as my Scottish grandmother would say.

We didn't stay long at the top. We were quite happy to head down, as quickly as our knees would let us.

And it just kept raining. And the wind gained momentum too. No stopping, no peeing, no snacking. Head down, and watch the slippery rocks.

I must say as we passed the many hikers on their ascent I couldn't help but worry about them. The weather had worsened considerably versus our climb an hour earlier.

Just after the half way Loch on the way down, the sun came out! Oh we were so happy to see it. We warmed up. We dried off. We ate some snacks.

Down down we went, with sunshine and lovely heather in bloom on the slopes.

Remarkably there were a couple of races on the mountain today. The Jacobite 100 - an ultra marathon that had started at midnight - and a 20 k run as well. So every so often a racer would come up the path at us. We did our best to clear the way and offer encouragement. Most of them looked pretty tired. Ya. No kidding.

We kept a pretty good pace (for two ladies celebrating being in their 60's!)

I had one little stumble and re-injured my arm, but that was all, just one little stumble.

Back to the Visitors Center for a Latte and a taxi "home". So very happy for the chance to do this hike!

Home to a hot shower, dry clothes and a walk into Fort William. This hiker statue (he has one hiking boot on and his lifted foot has only a sock ❤️) welcomes all the hikers, and there are many as this is the start/finish of the West Highland Way, and the Great Glenn Way, and, of course Ben Nevis.