In June 2024 we visited the magical Highlands and climbed the highest peak in United Kingdom - Ben Nevis (1345m). We decided to traverse the peak and do the CMD Arete route on the way up, because it follows a beautiful rugged ridge and offers a more interesting and much more solitary approach to the mountain.
On June 19 we start our hike early (6 20 AM), and follow an interesting footpath to the trailhead. The terrain turns steeper and marshier in places, but we do not encounter any technical difficulties. After climbing for a few hours, we finally reach the ridge near Càrn Dearg Meadhonach (1179m) at around 11 AM.
A lot of wind and clouds, but sometimes the view clears and we can see the north face of Ben Nevis, which looks quite intimidating from the ridge. We enjoy the scramble along the ridgeline, climbing Càrn Mòr Dearg (1220m) along the way, and reach the summit of Ben Nevis (1345m) quite suddenly at 1 PM, surprised by the amount of people on the top - up till now we met three people on the whole route. Beautiful views from the top and very cold - we use every layer we have to keep warm.
After enjoying the summit for more than an hour, we descend on the regular tourist path. I must say that this trail is better for descent, since the views are right in front, and it's a long, but pretty straightforward hike. We reach the Ben Nevis Inn at around 5 30 PM and got lucky to get a warm dinner there without a reservation.
In conclusion - the ascent via CMD Arete is much recommended. Beautiful view of Ben Nevis and other surrounding mountains and a reasonable scrambling challenge. I am very glad we did it this way rather than going just the tourist path.
Strava (my watch died in the inn - we had 4km left :) ) - www.strava.com/activities/11692137793
Music - www.epidemicsound.com/playlist/4ejrgthxqzfo334wyzoa9nqqltywjujo/
Camera - GoPro Hero10
Timestamps:
0:00 - 0:28 - Intro
0:28 - 5:35 - Up to the ridge
5:35 - 10:42 - From ridge to the summit
10:42 - 12:34 - The Summit of Ben Nevis
12:34 - 16:18 - Descent
#hiking #mountains #bennevis #highlands #scotland #hillwalking #munroe #munrobagging #cmd #cmdarete #ridge #silenthiking #nature #landscape #adventure #travel #UK #ukmountains