Ben Nevis: The UK's Highest Point at 1,345 Metres

Ben Nevis (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis) is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, standing at 1,345 metres (4,413 feet) above sea level.

Location & Geography

• Range: Grampian Mountains / Ben Nevis Range
• Region: Lochaber, Scottish Highlands
• Coordinates: 56°47′54″N, 5°00′12″W
• OS Grid: NN 16671 71283
• Parent peak: None (highest in British Isles)

Geology

• Type: Exposed Devonian (~400 Ma) granitic pluton — inner core of a collapsed caldera volcano.
• North Face: 600 m cliffs — UK's longest rock climbs (e.g., Tower Ridge, Point Five Gully).
• Summit plateau: ~40 ha, strewn with cairns, ruins of 1883 observatory.

Climbing / Access

• Mountain Track (Tourist Path): 16 km round-trip, 1,300 m ascent, 7–9 hrs. Starts at Glen Nevis Visitor Centre (20 m). Well-maintained but steep, rocky, exposed.
• Carn Mor Dearg Arête: Classic Grade 1 scramble — spectacular ridge traverse.
• North Face routes: Trad climbing, winter ice/mixed — world-class.
• Ben Nevis Race: Annual (September), ~1,400 runners, record ~1:25.

Weather & Safety

• Summit fog: ~300 days/year.
• Snow: Possible any month; persistent patches into summer.
• Observatory (1883–1904): Recorded UK's lowest pressure (925.6 mb) and legendary "Ben Nevis gales."
• Rescue: Lochaber MRT — ~100 callouts/year. Navigation errors #1 cause.

UK High Points by Country

Trivia

• Ben Nevis = "Venomous Mountain" or "Mountain with its Head in the Clouds" (Gaelic etymology debated).
• John Keats climbed it (1818); wrote sonnet On Visiting the Tomb of Burns after.
• First recorded ascent: James Robertson (botanist), 1771.