Walk Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg from The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola
You'll need a good head for heights on the CMD arete
This 11½ mile, Grade 8 (Hard), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola & will take you about 8½ hrs to complete.
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Detailed walk route map PDF | |
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | h154 | |
| Length: | 11½ miles (18.5km) | |
| Ascent: | 3919 ft (1194m) | |
| Time: | 8½ hours | |
| Grade: |  | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola - Sgurr Finnisg-aig - Carn Beag Dearg (Carn Mor Dearg) - Carn Dearg Meadhonach (Carn Mor Dearg) - Carn Mor Dearg - Carn Mor Dearg Arete (CMD Arete) - Ben Nevis - Carn Dearg (Ben Nevis) (North West Top) - The Ben Nevis Tourist Path - Coire Ghaimhnean (Five Finger Gully) - Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe - Leanachan Forest - The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola
Points of Interest/Notes on this walk:
Despite the fact thousands of people safely climb Ben Nevis every year, the mountain should never be under estimated. The wide tourist path can soon be obliterated by snow making route finding very difficult for the inexperienced. Deep and precipitous crags to the north & west await the careless.
The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola is open all year round, weather permitting, except mid November until mid December when it is closed for planned annual maintenance. You should phone in advance to check it will be open on the day of your visit, as occasionally strong winds can restrict operations. For more details see: Nevis Range Mountain Resort or Phone: +44 (0)1397 705 825
The Carn Mor Dearg arete is a narrow airy ridge with steep drops on either side. It should be avoided in thick weather.
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
 2 Munros |
 0 Corbetts |
 0 Grahams |
 3 Murdos |
 0 Donalds |
 2 Scottish Marilyns |
 0 Bridgets |
Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:
The highest point of this walk is Ben Nevis at 1344m (4411ft). Ben Nevis is classified as a Munro (No. 1) and a Scottish Marilyn (Highest in Scotland, Highest in the UK). Ben Nevis is also known as a Murdo (Highest in Scotland). Ben Nevis means 'Poisonous Mountain' and is pronounced 'byn nevis'.
The summit of Ben Nevis is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point, cairn, shelter & ruins. Ben Nevis is the highest point in the county of Highland, the highest point in the Grampian Mountains, the highest point in Scotland, the highest point in the United Kingdom, the highest point in Great Britain and the highest point in The British Isles.
Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Carn Dearg (Ben Nevis) (North West Top) at 1221m (4007ft). Carn Dearg (Ben Nevis) (North West Top) is known as a Murdo (10th highest in Scotland). Carn Dearg (Ben Nevis) (North West Top) means 'Red Hill' and is pronounced 'caarn jerrack'.
The summit of Carn Dearg (Ben Nevis) (North West Top) is marked by a cairn.
You will also reach the summit of Carn Mor Dearg at 1220m (4004ft). Carn Mor Dearg is classified as a Munro (No. 9) and a Scottish Marilyn (6th highest in Scotland, 6th highest in the UK). Carn Mor Dearg is also known as a Murdo (11th highest in Scotland). Carn Mor Dearg means 'Big Red Hill' and is pronounced 'caarn more jerrack'.
The summit of Carn Mor Dearg is marked by a cairn.
Along the way you will also bag and tick-off:
- Carn Dearg Meadhonach (Carn Mor Dearg) at 1179m (3869ft). Carn Dearg Meadhonach (Carn Mor Dearg) is Unclassified
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg from The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola
In no particular order . . .
Looking east towards Loch Linnhe from the tourist path up Ben Nevis above Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe
. . . load all 116 pictures & photos from this walk
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