This summer, I finally made it to the Scottish Highlands—an area that’s been on my bucket list for years. I had one really big goal: to hike up Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland. At 1345 meters, it’s also the highest mountain in Great Britain, and in the United Kingdom in general! It’s therefore also one of the Three Peaks (highest mountains in Scotland, England, and Wales) along with Scafell Pike and Snowdon. I spent one full day of my road trip hiking Ben Nevis, and thought it was about time I wrote a full post on it.

Ben Nevis is located not far from Fort William, one of the main transport hubs in the Highlands. There’s multiple routes up Ben Nevis, but the easiest (and most popular) is the Mountain Track. The trail starts from the Ben Nevis Visitor Center. There’s a huge car park at the visitor center, and all-day parking costs £4. The visitor center also has a shop, café, and toilets. Be aware that the toilets are only open when the visitor center is open, which is roughly 9-5!

I’m not going to lie: Ben Nevis is a fucking slog. The walk is long and difficult. The views from the top are notoriously bad due to weather. It’s very popular (as it’s the highest mountain in Scotland!), and I saw a lot of people who weren’t adequately dressed/prepared on my hike. A lot of people try to do this and they’re simply not able to. There are parts of the hike that are dangerous in bad weather, poor visibility, and for anyone out on their first big hike (mainly by the edges of ridges with scary drops below). I recommend a good level of fitness, experience hiking mountains, and (of course) proper outdoor gear for this hike.

All in all, it took me about 7 hours to hike up Ben Nevis. I left the visitor center at 8:55am and reached the summit at 12:19. After about 20 minutes rest at the summit, I started the long trudge down. I made it down (to the pub, more below!) at 3:50pm.

The beginning of the path is mainly stepped stones, leading you away from the valley. I had some nice views before hiking higher and going into the clouds.

You have a long walk across a fairly even bit of moorland. I joked after that this was my favorite part of the walk, since it was so flat and easy! By this point there wasn’t much visibility—which would stay the same for the rest of the walk.

You then pass a waterfall, which is apparently the “half-way” point, according to someone I chatted to on the trail. While it may be the half-way point, it’s still a hell of a lot of work to get to the top. The hardest sections are still to come.

After the waterfall, there are the unforgiving switchbacks. I couldn’t count them even if I tried—they seemed to go on forever. At this point, I was simply trudging on and on to try to get to the top. Most of this section is on slate and rock.

Following the switchbacks, there are a series of cairns. The visibility was now really poor, and if we weren’t following the cairns, I wouldn’t have been able to make out any kind of path. With the low visibility, it was easy to convince ourselves that the summit was “just after the next one.” In reality, it took a LONG time of going through the cairn section.

Finally, we reached the top of Ben Nevis!

There were no views to speak of at all on my trip up the Ben, just mist and rain and cloud. Most people were huddled around the stone walls, having a snack and a rest before heading back down. It was wet and rainy and pretty miserable. There weren’t that many places at the summit where you could be fully sheltered, and it was fairly busy with people.

The descent down took longer than I expected. My knee started hurting, especially on second half past the waterfall.

I also happened to be hiking Ben Nevis during the Ben Nevis Race. For some reason, there are people in this world who think it’s a good idea to run up and down the mountain!!! Nothing makes you feel as bad about struggling up the highest mountain in Britain than watching hundreds of people run up it.

Coming down on the stepped stones was also really difficult, as runners were flying past on their way down to finish the race. It meant a lot of moving to one side, and not being able to really get into a rhythm. One of the runners even knocked into Adam and they both fell over—Adam was really nice about it, and the runner felt super guilty and kept apologizing. But I was glad it was Adam and not me!

Finally, at the end of the 7-hour hike, I made it to the pub. The Ben Nevis Inn was busy (it was race day after all!) but I had a delicious burger and a cider. We finished off by buying a few souvenirs from the visitor center, and then headed back out through Fort William to find a place to camp for the night.

Ben Nevis was a fucking slog. I’m glad I did it, but it’s not a walk I would do again. It’s really difficult, there weren’t any good views to be had, it’s a very busy and popular hike, and I don’t feel like it was all that good of a walk. It doesn’t compare at all to some of my other favorite hikes, like Helvellyn in the Lake District. As one of the Three Peaks, it sees lots of visitors. But it wasn’t a particularly good walk in my honest opinion.

If you’re looking at staying around Ben Nevis, you can check hotels here, and search for hostels here. You can also sign up to and search Airbnb for accommodation here! Fort William is a major hub in the Highlands for transportation and accommodation, so you’ll find good options here. (Fort William is only about a 5-minute drive away from the Ben Nevis Visitor Center.) The Glen Nevis camping site is very convenient for a hike up Ben Nevis. Be forewarned though, even pitching a tent is really expensive (it’s about £10 per person for a tent and car).

For my camping spot this evening, we stayed across from a big group of Germans off a rural dirt road off the A830 between Fort William and Glenfinnan.

Ben Nevis is a mountain, and I don’t recommend this walk to anyone on their first big hike. As with all long hikes, wear proper gear and be prepared. Make sure you wear and bring layers. I peeled off my fleece and my rain jacket after about 30 minutes, but by the time I got to the top I was freezing and had all my layers and my gloves on. I really recommend a buff, so that you can protect your neck/face/ears/head/etc. from the wind. Proper hiking boots are essential. Bring plenty of water (way more than you think you’d need), lots of snacks, a map, a compass, and money for the parking lot. I use hiking poles as well and they are amazing.

And for the love of god, take out all the trash you bring in. I saw so many banana peels on this hike (at least 30), which is so outrageously disrespectful. Pack all your trash and throw it away in the visitor center garbage, and leave no trace.

Ben Nevis isn’t easy—it’s a long and difficult walk. But I’m glad I did it, and hopefully in the next year I’ll finally get up Snowdon as well to complete the Three Peaks!

Have you been up Ben Nevis, or another big mountain? What was your experience like?!

Check out my other Scotland posts:

12 Tips For Planning Your Scottish Highlands Road Trip

Seeing The Hogwarts Express At The Glenfinnan Viaduct In Scotland

Scottish Highlands Road Trip: What To See In Glencoe

Visiting The Scottish Border Abbeys In One Day: Jedburgh, Kelso, Dryburgh, And Melrose

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