All Things Scottish, Day 11

Today the weather forecast finally cooperated -- It's B-Day, the day to tackle Ben Nevis. Though it is in fact the highest peak in the United Kingdom, at around 1350M, over 100,000 people summit it each year. How is that possible? Are Scots natural gazelles?

No, there's something varyingly called "The Pony Track", the "Tourist Track" or "The Main Path" to get to the top -- it leads a well-defined (but not EASY) ascent starting at the base in Glen Nevis, winding around and up to the very top, and was created originally for the staffed meteorological observatory at the top, which was staffed 24/7 for 20 years starting in 1883.

"Path" is a bit generous. It's not an easy walk, by any means. The flattish parts are in fact very nice and pathlike. The steep and high parts, on the other hand, are either jaggedly carved out of the shear rock, or made by "paving" with way with the jagged carvings, blocks and rough talus. The entire path up is 8.1KM and rises just under 1300M (4300 feet). About 35% of that is relatively easy strolling, 30% steep "staircase" rough cobblestone, about 30% through talus and scree, and atthis time of year, 5% through snow at the upper levels.

I was able to climb in just over 3 hours, using my normal slow, plodding trudge -- about the same rate as most other people (who went faster but they took more breaks.) Was passed on the way up by people jogging to the top... and they passed me again jogging on the way down. One person was on his second ascent of the day as part of his hill running training. I did the round trip in about 6 hours, including 45 minutes at the top. The current record stands at 1h27 rountrip. Wow...

In the end, despite the official forcast being for a "dull day" with the mountian locked into cloud (but no rain and not much wind) the weather turned out ideal. The cloud was low enough that the peak popped in and out of the sun as the cloud bank drifted past. But the time I got back to the bottom, things were downright warm, and I'm glad I didn't start later in the day.

Conveniently at the foot of the Achintree Farm access point, there is a B&B/Inn that serves beer and meals. I had the me excellent mid-afternoon lunch yet -- A butternut squash tort, covered in sun-dried tomatoes, and then re-baked with wedges of goat cheese on top -- accompanied by assorted roasted rootstock vegetables, and some sort of sweet dipping chutney. It was awesome.