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Ben Nevis – A Brief History of Humans on the Mountain

If you plan on trying to hike to Ben Nevis this summer, there are some interesting facts you would like to know. At 1,344 meters (or 4,408 feet), Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles and as such is the biggest challenge for any UK climber or walker. It’s also challenging for people to get into the record books by trying to climb in quirky ways!

For the novice or non-serious hiker, once this peak has been reached you can sit back and hang up your walking boots knowing you’ve made it to the ultimate hike (height-wise, anyway).

Ben Nevis, translated from Gaelic means ‘Mountain of Heaven’. The first recorded ascent was in 1771, and in 1883 the trail and observatory were built thanks to Clement Linley Wragge, nicknamed Inclement Wragge.

Ben Nevis Weather:

If you plan to hike to Ben Nevis, it will be difficult to choose a day with perfect weather. The top of the mountain is only clear on an average of one day in 10. Records from the old observatory show 261 gales a year and 4,350mm of rain, compared to less than half that amount in Fort William, the city at the foot of Ben. The rainiest month of the year is December. Only in April, May and June the monthly precipitation is less than 25 cm.

The AVERAGE temperature at the summit is one degree below freezing.

Deep snow remains year-round in large bags at the foot of the north and northeast cliffs, and snow can fall in any month of the year.

Every year around 100,000 visitors reach the summit. Following the trail on a summer day is a fairly safe way to get to the top, but straying off the trail or climbing rocks can be very dangerous. In a five-year period there were 13 deaths on the mountain. Although most people on average can make it to the top safely, it is not a walk in the park and common sense safety precautions should be followed.

Check the weather before leaving!
Always make sure someone knows you are going to climb the mountain so they can raise the alarm if you don’t return!
Stay on the road!

Meteorologists on Ben Nevis:

Wragge was a meteorologist who climbed Ben Nevis every day to collect weather information. Wragge collected information from various points on the way up and down the mountain, and his wife collected readings from their home at sea level. His journey took him four hours to reach the top, and he was away from home about 11 hours a day. From June 1, 1881 to October 14, 1882, and during a similar period in 1882, Wragge climbed the mountain every day without fail. Sufficient funds were raised in 1883 to build the road and the 13-square-foot room with 10-foot thick walls that would become the Observatory. To help raise funds, walkers using the trail were charged 1 shilling (5 pence in modern money) and 3 shillings if they went on horseback. Permits can be purchased from a store in Fort William or from a road maintenance man at the cabin midway.

In 1884 an office, two bedrooms, and a visitor’s room were added to the observatory, along with a 30-foot tower (which would rise above the snow in the winter. The observatory was connected by telegraph and then by telephone to Fort William Post Office. From 1884 to 1904, when funds ran out, the observatory was permanently manned and weather conditions were rigorously recorded. The normal summer shift at the summit was two months. They had fresh food in the summer. Summer, canned food for nine horses took months and coke, as fuel, was transported in the same way.

For fun, the observatory staff went sledding, used snowshoes and skis, and made an outdoor ping pong table with frozen snow. They carved wood, played flutes, violin, flute, mandolin, and accordion. One of their most alarming hobbies was throwing large rocks over the cliffs so that they could hear them rumble and crash into the ravine.

Hotel Templanza:

A small wooden annex hotel was also opened, the Temperance Hotel, run by two young ladies who provided food and a bed during the summer months. They charged 3 shillings for lunch and 10 shillings for tea, bed and breakfast. A fashionable way to climb the mountain was by pony, and 21 shillings hired the pony and a guide.

In 1916, the hotel also closed, and the buildings gradually fell into disrepair, aided by fire, and climbers who in 1950 were seen removing lead from the roof and rolling down the mountain.

Ben Nevis conquered by car:

In 1911, a 20-horsepower Model T Ford was driving to the top of the mountain as a publicity stunt by Ford agents in Edinburgh. Henry Alexander Jr, the owner’s son, was the driver. The car was not simply driven down the track, but involved 10 days of preparatory work to find and verify a drivable road halfway, and to lay the bridge planks. It took three more days to drive the car to this point and only two more days to cover the rocks and snow to the observatory. The car would sink deep into the marshy ground and would have to be removed for paper. The ‘Daily Telegraph’ reported at the time that a wrong turn of the steering wheel would mean a fall that would have caused total destruction to the car and certain death to the driver.

I, Alexander, was honored as a hero when the car returned to Fort William. Once the brakes were adjusted, no further repairs were necessary and the car was driven back to Edinburgh.

Alexander seemed to enjoy his feat so much that he repeated it in 1928, this time in a Ford New Standard (Ford Model A). The last quarter mile was driven with four passengers.

Ben Nevis conquered by Bed:

In 1981, a group of medical students from the University of Glasgow pushed a bed to the top; They were accompanied by former news anchor Reginald Bosanquet (then 48) who collapsed at 1000 feet. Later he recovered and was able to walk.

Other strange ascents:

A man from Fort William pushed a wheelbarrow to the top and returned before 1911.

A horse and cart have also been taken to the top.

In September 1980, Kenneth Campbell of Ardgay, Ross-shire, in a kilt, brought a keg of beer to the top to raise money for cancer research. The barrel had legs on either side so that it could be left on the ground whenever it needed a breather.

Kenny himself also brought a piano to the top and vice versa.

So as you plan your hike or relax after you’ve made it, just think of the man who climbed the mountain day after day to take readings at the observatory, or those who have tried to climb under unlikely circumstances. For me, once was enough to say that I had. But maybe the stories from previous endeavors have inspired you …..?