United Kingdom
Ben Nevis

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    • Day 11

      (6) Ben Nevis

      April 11, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

      Jetzt blieb nur noch eine Sache übrig: Die Höhen des Ben Nevis zu erklimmen.

      Rund 1345m Aufstieg und nach Wetterbericht war mit Schneefall zu rechnen. Immerhin: Gegen Mittag soll es etwas besser werden. Also ging ich zeitig los und nahm die Touristenroute. Den ursprünglichen Plan, auf den Càrn Mòr Dearg zu steigen und dann den Grat zum Ben zu nehmen, verwarf ich aufgrund der Wetterlage. Denn gegen oben war es tatsächlich ziemlich anspruchsvoll den Weg zu finden. Als Orientierung dienten mir Steintürme, die entlang der Route aufgestellt wurden. Die Steigeisen waren jedoch nicht notwendig.

      Die Aussicht blieb mir oben leider verwehrt und es war eisig kalt. Zum Glück hatte ich meine Fausthandschuhe dabei... Lange blieb ich also nicht. Einzig ein Schlückchen Whiskey zum Anstossen gab es von zwei Amerikanern, die etwas kurz nach mir ankamen und mit denen ich etwas plauderte.

      Randnotiz: Tatsächlich hatte es auf bis etwa 1'200m eine Familie hochgeschafft, die teilweise mit Strassenschuhen bekleidet, den Weg auf sich genommen hatte. Sie sind mir noch ein Stück weit gefolgt, danach riet ich ihnen lieber umzukehren und mit besserer „Ausrüstung“ ein andermal aufzusteigen. Trotz aller deutlichen Warnschilder am Fusse des Berges, gibt es das immer noch. Naja, Touristenmagnet halt. Die Route selbst war durchaus mit viel Abfall verschmutzt, das machte mich nachdenklich. Gut, mir ist selber noch etwas aus dem Rucksack verloren gegangen... Als Kompensation sammelte ich ein wenig Abfall auf dem Weg nach unten ein und entsorgte ihn.

      Für die letzte Etappe meiner Rundwanderung gibt es natürlich auch ein passendes Lied:

      „I had to change the view
      So packed a parachute
      And started climbing mountains I had made up
      I was afraid of heights
      Until I learned to fly
      Now I'm staring at the ground from way up

      Got my blood, got my blood on fire
      And it takes me higher

      I been waiting for this all my life
      Good things never come to those who wait in line
      I been breaking these walls in my mind and woo
      They're breaking down
      I'm on top of the world“

      Vielleicht nicht ganze die Spitze der Welt, zumindest aber jene von Schottland... ;))

      PS: Morgen geht es weiter nach Oban und dann mal schauen.
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    • Day 18

      Day 18 - part 2 - Who is Ben Nevis?

      July 5, 2016 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

      After our morning “easy” ride on Cow Hill, the Bear took us to the Nevis Range resort which is at the base of the Ben Nevis mountain and acts as a ski resort in winter and a bike resort in the summer. We rode a few trails on the mountain, including a short piece of single track that was used in a recent Scottish Enduro Series race (a profession mountain bike race). It was dicey, but fun! After enjoying a brief respite in the cafe at the bottom of the hill, Bogey and I took the gondola to the up to get some great views of the area, and we also watched the riders with real cojones ride down the mountain from the top. After our day’s adventure was complete, we had dinner at the Nevis Inn, a gem of a restaurant which we was so good we had dinner there both nights we stayed in Fort William. We even had some haggis! (it was delicious) This night we were treated to a performance by a local cèilidh band (pronounced “kailey"), playing traditional gaelic music (picture to come). It was the perfect end to a day spent in the west highlands.Read more

    • Day 5

      Ben Nevis (1345m) via Carn Mor Dearg

      August 31, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

      Gestern sind wir auf den höchsten Berg GB gewandert. Wir waren 9h unterwegs da wir die schwere Route über den Nordgrad zwischen dem Carn Mor und dem Ben Nevis gewählt haben. Diese Route war einer der anspruchsvollsten. Mein Muskelkater ist unbeschreiblich😂 Heute geht es weiter zur Isle of Skye.Read more

    • Day 5

      Ben Nevis

      August 5, 2014 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

      Hier konnten wir mit einer Seilbahn hoch fahren und oben auf dem Berg herumspatzieren. Es gab auch eine Kantine vor Ort und viele Mountainbiker fuhren die schmalen Wege den Berg herunter.😄

      💚💚

    • Day 9

      Auf- und Abstieg zum Ben Nevis

      August 14, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Der höchste Berg Schottlands, 1345 Höhenmeter rauf und wieder runter. Zusammen mit vielen Anderen und sogar mit Sicht auf die Highlands von ca. 700m.

    • Day 2

      2. Ben Nevis

      October 3, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

      A quick Wetherspoon's brekkie and we were ready to tackle the second peak of the challenge. Standing at 1,345m in height we knew this would be a long morning out so set off as early as we could. After a mile or so, some rain came in but it quickly broke and we were treated to some stunning views of the valley below. The route was nice and snaked around surrounding mountains before zig zagging it's way to the top. As we got higher the temperature dropped quite dramatically. A quick stop to help caler put his gloves on (and try not to elbow him in the stomach) and we pushed on to the summit. Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side and visibility from the top wasn't the best, but we had a good appreciation for what we were missing. Thankfully our Travel dad (Elmo) took plenty of decent photos for us to steal and call our own. We ran most of the way down and it was nice to open the legs out a little. Another quick pub lunch and we pushed on down to Cairn Ryan to catch a ferry to Northern Ireland. The drive through to Glasgow was beautiful and along the way we discovered the special transporter wave. We made it to the ferry terminal with about 2 minutes to spare, which was great as it meant we had time for a quick guiness (or maybe 2) in Belfast. Another non-stop, ace day 🤙🏼Read more

    • Day 4

      Disaster on Ben Nevis

      September 16, 2016 in Scotland ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

      It was a normal September morning in the Scottish HIghlands, when New Zealander, Courtney Fagan and Man who doesn't know where he is from, Jamie Armstrong arrived at the Glen Nevis Visitors Centre and embarked on their journey towards the highest peak in Great Britain.

      The majority of their walk was uneventful, Mr Armstrong tried to name all songs which had a step theme to it, and decided that Stairway to Heaven was the most appropriate song for their Journey. Miss Fagan decided she had enough of Mr Armstrong talking crap about stairs and pushed him down the mountain to show him what the stairs really felt like (in her mind). Their ascent continued and at about 800m the clouds set in, and Mr Armstrong could no longer see through his mist covered glasses. Miss Fagan took this as her opportunity to run and hide to scare Mr Armstrong, but got too cold because Mr Armstrong had to constantly stop because he couldn't see where he was going.

      Fast forward an hour, and Miss Fagan and Mr Armstrong reach the summit in a time of 2 hr 25 min - Not bad considering the mean time is 4 hours to reach the top, but when the record to run to the top and back is 1 hr 25 min, Miss Fagan felt slightly inadequate. Mr Armstrong reports that a few photos were taken, however due to Miss Fagan being a weak NZer and nearing hypothermia, the view of the heavy clouds and mist could not be enjoyed for more than 10 minutes."I told her to put more clothes on, but she just yelled at me and told me she didn't want another penguin biscuit". It was after this point where Miss Fagan conceeded to putting her gloves on but because her fingers oouldn't move anymore, Mr Armstrong had to dress her like a child "She couldn't move her fingers, so I did the manly thing and put her gloves on for her, except her little finger wouldn't fit because it was frozen solid at a 90 degree angle, It took me 5 attempts to get her gloves on, but eventually I covered her little sausages".

      Due to the cold setting in, Miss Fagan decided it would be a great idea to jog down the mountain and convinced Mr Armstrong of her plan "It was pretty easy, he just does everything I say anyway, that's how relationships work don't they?". Although Mr Armstrong conceded that he had agreed easily to "jog down the mountain" he disagreed with the insinuation that he had only done so because he is whipped "I just wanted another Penguin Biscuit and they were in the car". They proceeded down the mountain, saying hello to everyone they met. A local climber who did not wanted to be named, said that they were disguistingly happy with themselves, especially the girl who had a weird little grin on her face "They came whizzing past and I stopped to ask them how much further to the top, the girl turned to me and said you're almost there, then laughed and told me I had two hours to go. Bitch"

      Towards the bottom of the Mountain, Miss Fagan and Mr Armstrong slowed and spoke to other climbers who were starting their ascent. encouranging them along their way. Miss Fagan continued to walk on, when stepping off her 1 millionith rock of the day, disaster struck "I don't know what happened, one minute I was standing up, admiring the view and rocking my hot green jacket when nek minute I was on the ground". Miss Fagan apparently grabbed her ankle and once Mr Armstrong stopped humming stairway to heaven for the 100th time and realised what was going on, proceeded to quickly pick Miss Fagan up, took off her shoe, and noting the swelling, said "You'll be fine" and proceeded to drag her down the mountain, knowing if she stopped her foot would have seized up and would no longer be able to walk. Mr Armstrong made promises of Shetland Ponies and Highland cows if Miss Fagan was able to get down off the mountain without the mountain rescue being called, which to his delight and because she is so tough, she made it back to the car in relatively one piece.

      On return to the Vistors centre, Miss Fagan's ankle was inspected and was noted to be heavily swollen with slight brusing. Miss Fagan reported hearing a snap at the time of impact with the ground, however, no medical attention has yet been sought due to Miss Fagan wanting to see if it improves overnight. An XRay may be required at a local hospital in the morning. "It is quite painful, but I can kinda walk on it. Just take me to my Shetland Ponies" Unpreterred by the potential break in her ankle, Mr Armstrong and Miss Fagan went to celebrate climbing up the highest mountain in the United Kingdom with Chickpea Soup, followed by a search for Highland Cows.

      In other news, the Loch Ness Monster has still not been found after another extensive day of searching. Jamie Armstrong, media whore, took to Loch Ness in his Speedos this afternoon hoping to scare Nessy out of the water with his pasty white legs. It appears that the only things Mr Armstrong was able to scare was the water out of the water when he waded in to discover the water depth was only 5 inches thick as far as the eye could see. "It was a heavily disappointing day" Mr Armstrong stated "My speedos are still dry".

      Mr Armstrong and Miss Fagan's evening concluded with a Bon Fire at their little AirB&B located at Speen Bridge with some wine, cheese and a fat ankle.
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    • Day 4

      Ben Nevis

      May 30, 2021 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      Today we tackled the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis! We got up early, had a good hearty breakfast of porridge for energy and headed off to the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre to make sure we got a parking spot as we did not have a plan B prepared. It was already pretty full when we arrived just after 8am so we definitely made the right choice getting their early. After rustling up some sandwiches, snacks and purchasing the ever important compass, we started the ascent just after 9am.

      The first half of the trek is not actually that bad. Whilst it's steep, the path is pretty good so you can just slowly make your way up. Around the half way mark however, the path gets steeper and the luscious views of greenery and lochs turn into rock. But again, totally managable and we kept plodding onwards, zig zagging our way up. As we got closer to the top, you could feel the temperature drop and we started to pass patches of snow. We weren't expecting however for the final stretch to the summit, to be trudging through thick cloud and snow a foot deep in places. During this final push, we really did debate whether it was worth pushing on to the top however when we made it to the top and the clouds lifted, we were surrounded by amazing panormaic views. After the obligatory photo at the top, we tucked into our sandwiches before making our way back down.

      Now if you thought treking up through deep snow is tough, getting back down again came with its own challenges. There were a number of techniques being adopted by fellow hikers from running to sliding down on bums. We decided to dig our heels in and hope for the best although I definitely fell over on my bum at one point whilst wondering why I didn't pack a spare pair of socks! Once we were out of the snow, it did get easier however the rock is quite slippery so you really had to take your time to avoid rolling an ankle. As we made our descent, it just kept getting warmer! We honestly couldn't have picked a better day to do it! I had visions of getting to the top, not being able to see a thing and having to find our way back down relying solely on my compass skills but instead we were met with breathtaking views for miles!

      They say the average time to climb Ben Nevis is around 4 hours up and 3 down. We got to the top in just over 3 hours and it probably took us around 3 hours to get back down. We'll take that!

      It was then back to the campsite for a much needed shower and some salmon, new potatoes and veg courtesy of our in van chef, Mr Thatcher before climbing into bed before most of the children on the campsite. We are going to sleep well tonight!

      Campsite: Ben Nevis Holiday Park
      Number of nights: 2
      Price: £30 per night
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    • Day 14

      Najwyższy szczyt UK zdobyty!

      August 8, 2020 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Nasz rodzinny kaowiec zadecydował, że w okolicy Glen Affric jest za mało gór i że dla dobra wyprawy powinniśmy zdobyć szczyt najwyższy, szczyt przedstawiający prawdziwe wyzwanie, szczyt z którego roztaczają się najpiękniejsze widoki, słowem szczyt na miarę naszych możliwości.
      Z tego też powodu zrywamy się o barbarzyńskiej (jak na tę wakacje) porze, czyli o 7.30 i już o 8:08 wyruszamy w drogę, licząc na panoramę Loch Ness (chętnie z potworem) i względnie sprawne wyjście na Ben Nevis ( wg walking Highlands trasa zajmuje 7-9 godzin).
      Krajobrazy wzdłuż A82 są rzeczywiście fantastyczne, ale same Loch Ness przesłaniają przez większość drogi krzaki. Dzięki wysokości geograficznej 9 rano jest ciągle czasem kiedy podnoszą się mgły, więc przybliżające się pasmo Nevis wygląda tajemniczo i bardzo, bardzo pociągająco.
      Po dotarciu na miejsce, okazuje się, że podobny pomysł na słoneczną niedzielę miało pół populacji Szkocji (jak również turyści), i parking jest całkowicie zapełniony. Zatrzymujemy się na poboczu, licząc na to, że dobrze pamiętamy wytyczne Highway Code, a jeśli nie, na miłosierdzie lokalnej straży miejskiej (zresztą, jak można się domyślić , nie jesteśmy jedyni).
      Jeszcze szybkie śniadanie, i w drogę. Trasa jest wyjątkowo szeroka, jasno wytyczona, i względnie płaska, podstawowym utrudnieniem jest omijanie grup turystów, którzy, tak jak my, postanowili wybrać się na szlak. Wygląda na to, że wszyscy posłuchali Borysa, nawołującego do nie wybierania się na plażę, i zamiast za to wybrali się na Ben Nevis. Chodzenie w tłumie to żadna przyjemność, a do tego z każdym zaobserwowanym oddechem oczy wyobraźni widzą miliony virionow Covida, więc kiedy szybkie tempo i wymijanie kolejnych grup nie pomaga, decydujemy się na zejście z głównej trasy i wędrówkę po trawie oraz korytami wielu strumyków. Dodatkową zaletą jest spore urozmaicenie wspinaczki, bo prawdę mówiąc, jest ona dość nudna - baaardzo długa, zakosami praktycznie po płaskim w poprzek góry, po kamienistym trakcie. Za to widoki są rzeczywiście rewelacyjne - i Fort Williams jawi się bardzo malowniczo, i w Glen Nevis rozsiane są (oczywiście) większe i mniejsze jeziorka, a po dotarciu na szczyt jest w 100% jasne, że wdrapał się człowiek na najwyższą w okolicy górę. Panorama zachwyca (kiedy akurat jest dziura w chmurze) a żaden z otaczających szczytów ( a jest ich wiele) nawet w przybliżeniu nie dorównuje Ben Nevis wysokością. Ale zanim dotrzemy na szczyt trzeba pokonać dwa spore strumienie, wspiąć się po piargu, zaobserwować akcję ratowniczą helikoptera (powinna iść muzyka kina akcji w tle) i 3 razy przeżyć rozczarowanie że to jeszcze nie szczyt :). A im bliżej do szczytu, tym temperatura wyraźnie niższa - od momentu zastąpienia łąk przez kamienie para leci z ust, a ręce grabieją. Idealna demostracja inwersji temperaturowej - startując z poziomu morza wspięliśmy się na 1344m (wg GPS) i straciliśmy około 15C.
      Dzięki popularności trasy wśród wędrujących na szczyt można zaobserwować niezły przekrój pomysłów na urozmaicenie trasy. Są oczywiście drużyny wspierające konkretne fundacje charytatywne (różowe Princessy obu płci w spódniczkach tutu idą prawdopodobnie dla fundacji wspierającej pacjentki z rakiem piersi), są drużyny (sądząc po zdjęciu na T-shirtach) upamiętniające konkretną osobę, są wyczynowy pokonujący trasę biegiem, ale jest też szaleniec zjeżdżający z Ben Nevis na rowerze, jak i inny wspinający się na boso...A są i tacy których na szczyt wwozi helikopter.
      Wśród tych wszystkich inspirujących wariacji na temat czujemy się wyjątkowo zwyczajni w porównaniu, naszym jedynymi wyróżnikami są niezłe tempo (6h z postojem na szczycie) i autorska trasa, która zresztą szybko została zaadoptowana przez naśladowców.
      A na zakończenie wycieczki czeka nas wyśmienite steak pie w lokalnym pubie w Cannich (gorąco polecamy i pie, i pub) - M'n'Ms mówią, że przez sporą część drogi niosła je wizja tego pie na końcu drogi 😆.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Ben Nevis, جبل بن نيفيس, Гара Бен-Невіс, Бен Невис, Beinn Nibheis, بن نویس, Beinn Nivish, בן נוויס, Բեն Նևիս, ベン・ネビス山, ბენ-ნევისი, 벤네비스 산, Neviss, بن نیوس, Бен-Невис, Бен-Невіс, 本尼维斯山

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