Ben Nevis Visitor Centre Bridge - Fort William

Pete F.

First thing first: you no longer need exact coins to park; you may now use a card as well at the machine. I had come prepared, but cards are just so much easier.

The hike. Ugh, the hike. It starts out so beautifully if you go straight after the bridge instead of turning left. You are treated to a lush, flat, calm, and beautiful 20 minute walk before crossing over the sheep fence to start the proper trail.

It is a steep and grueling climb. If you’re in great shape you can hit it hard, as I did, or you can rest frequently and step slowly, as lots of others did. The switchback stone steps, which sometimes were less steps than a pile of ticks over which you have to navigate the best path for you. And it keeps, going, up! Very few flat areas fit the first 30 minutes or so depending on how fast you go.

Finally you reach a flatter area with few rocks, so it’s easy again for a short time. Then the rocks come back. The higher you get, the smaller and looser the ticks become, so there’s few sound steps to take.

But slowly, there is less mountain above you, and then you realize you are on the final push. It’s exhilarating to reach the summit, and while the sky was clear above, a bank of clouds below masked out the views. No matter, I did it. The problem with the summit is that it is littered with very large stones and there’s no path through them. It’s the most uncomfortable walking you can imagine. Hard to believe that the remnants of a building up there used to be a hotel! Not sure why they decided to dump the rocks there.

But wait, you’ve only gone up. Now you have to fight gravity, steep downward slopes, loose rocks, tricky footing, and lots of pressure on your knees. Going up makes your lungs and legs hurt, while going down makes your knees and feet hurt.

I made the summit in 2.5 hours, and descended to whence I came in 2.5 hours. A total of 5 hours, plus about a half hour at the summit to eat my lunch, a pie from the Nevis Bakery in Fort William.

But I can’t say it was a difficult hike because I saw people ages 8-80 reaching the summit. It’s a matter of fitness that determines how quickly or slowly you climb, and how easily or hard it is for you.

Mircea D.

Coming here to start our adventure on Ben Nevis. Beautiful place with a movies panorama views. The only thing is that they are closing the toilets for the month of winter and they are reopening in spring. So just to let you know 👀

Mike R.

Love everything about glen Nevis , please visit your self to find out

George R.

The start of a long walk and a few days pain after coming back down

Calvin M.

Was closed on a Saturday. Had toilets outside which was good idea.

Frances J.

It's just a car park. .. no facilities out of season

Paul S.

Very scenic

John K.

Very scenic, 2 good restaurants within 10min walk