Climbing Ben Nevis and Scarfell

Q. Hi We are coming from South Africa and will be climbing Ben Nevis on Tuesday the 13th September. We are regular hikers and have a few mountains under our belts. Do you know if there is any cost involved in climbing? Which route is recommended to hike and where is the start of the hike. We would need to arrange accommodation for ourselves. We will then be driving to the lake district and climbing Scarfell ;) Regards Adele

Adele Romanis,

A. At present* (August 24th, 2011) there is no cost involved in climbing Ben Nevis - other than the wear and tear on your body!. For walk routes and maps up Ben Nevis - see Walk Ben Nevis.

Most people follow Walk route map h100 Ben Nevis via The Tourist Path from Achintee, Fort William which is the easiest route (but still an 8 1/2 hour walk over 10 miles long with some 1348m (4424ft) of climbing - so by no means easy).

The start of the walk (h100) is at a place called Achintee which is about a mile and a half south east of Fort William. There is also a large car park in Glen Nevis.

To find accommodation or somewhere to stay in Fort William (the nearest town to the bottom of Ben Nevis) see Hotels, B & B's (Bed & Breakfast), Pubs and Inns and Places to Stay for Walkers, Hikers and Ramblers and enter 'Fort William' into the search box.

To climb Scafell Pike see Walk Scafell Pike. Scafell Pike is England's highest mountain and should not be confused with the nearby Sca Fell (England's 2nd highest mountain) or Great Sca Fell in The Northern Fells area of The Lake District.

I do not know of any mountain in England, Scotland or Wales called Scarfell.

* See Are Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis becoming endangered destinations?

Hope this helps . . .

Mike (Editor)

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