What is the highest point in Scotland?

Answer 1

Ben Nevis at 4406 feet (1344m) is the highest mountain in Scotland. It's located close to Fort William and the tourist route to the top is about 4.4 miles (7 km)each way.

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Answer 2

As before, Ben Nevis

Answer 3

Ben Nevis, 1344m

Answer 4

Top of Ben Nevis. 4406ft or 1344m high.

Answer 5

Ben Nevis (a mountain) 1,344 metres (4,409ft)

Answer 6

Ben Nevis (or Beinn Nibheis in Scottish Gaelic) is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is situated in the west of Scotland, close to the town of Fort William, in Lochaber, Highland. It is one of 284 Munros (mountains in Scotland that reach an elevation of 3,000 feet (914.4 m) or more).

The draw of the highest peak in the British Isles attracts over 100,000 ascents a year.[1] A significant number of these visitors have little experience of mountains, and many are caught out each year by the quickly changing weather. Between 1990 and 1995 alone there were 13 fatalities on the mountain.[2] (Eight of these were due to falls while rock climbing.)

The origin of the name Ben Nevis is unclear. The word ben is certainly from beinn, the Gaelic word for "peak", and Ben Nevis is sometimes referred to as 'The Ben'. Possibilities for the meaning of nevis include 'venomous', 'burst' or 'flow' (from neb) and 'brow of keen air' (from neamh meaning 'keeness of air' and bhathais meaning 'brow'). A locally popular suggestion that the name derives from naomh meaning 'heaven' is rejected by etymologists.

Ben Nevis is one of three British mountains climbed as part of the (National) Three Peaks Challenge.

Contents [hide]
1 Weather
2 Ascent routes
3 The summit
3.1 The view
4 Other facts
5 Photo gallery
6 See also
7 External links
8 References



[edit]
Weather
Ben Nevis's altitude and maritime location can lead to unusually poor weather conditions which can pose a danger to ill-equipped walkers. In an average year the summit is covered by cloud (for at least part of the day) on 355 days[3], sees 261 full gales, and receives 4,350 mm of rainfall, compared to only 2,050 mm in Fort William, just a few miles away [4] and about 600 mm in Inverness, Edinburgh and London. Rainfall on Ben Nevis is about twice as high in the winter as it is in the spring and summer. In poor visibility navigating safely off the summit plateau is notoriously difficult, and it is necessary to take precise compass bearings to avoid the cliffs.[5]

[edit]
Ascent routes
There is a relatively simple route to the summit known as the 'Ben Path', but commonly referred to as the 'tourist route'. This begins at the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre about one mile (1.6 km) from Fort William town centre, and a short distance up the mountain is joined by a path from the youth hostel. Another popular route is from Steal further up Glen Nevis, it is shorter and steeper, and tends to be used by climbers with a modicum of experience.

The continuation round the cirque to Carn Mor Dearg via the Carn Mor Dearg Arête is also popular with strong walkers, though the steep descent from Ben Nevis summit can require very great care in winter conditions.

[edit]
The summit
Controversy continues to rage about the placing of navigation poles near the summit. The poles were placed upon the advice of Lochaber Mountain Rescue, as an aid for climbers or walkers in bad weather—the descent from the summit plateau having proven deadly in foggy conditions. Currently they have been cut down by environmentally conscious climbers who object to the aesthetic intrusion.

A meteorological observatory on the summit was established by Clement Lindley Wragge in 1881, and permanently manned between October 1883 and October 1904. In September 1894, CTR Wilson was employed for a couple of weeks as temporary relief for one of the permanent staff. It was during this sojourn that his attention was caught by the Brocken Spectre. His subsequent experimental work aimed at understanding this optical phenomenon eventually led to his invention of the cloud chamber.

[edit]
The view
Being the highest ground in Britain, the panorama from the summit is extremely extensive. The view includes such hills as the Skye Cuillin, Sgurr na Ciche, Liathach, Carn Eige, Morven, the Cairngorms, Lochnagar, Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond, the Isle of Arran, the Paps of Jura and Barra Head, with the views extending up to 120 miles in good conditions. See the 'External links' section for the full view.

[edit]
Other facts
Ben Nevis consists of igneous rock dating from the Devonian period of geological history.

The north face attains a maximum height of 2,000 feet (600 m) and extends for 2 miles (3 km) and has many famous mountaineering routes, from Tower Ridge (grade II) to Centurion (grade VIII.8). This face holds snow until quite late in the year, and in a good year routes may remain in winter condition until mid-spring.

There is an annual Grade A fell race[6] to the summit of Ben Nevis from Fort William and back again. The fastest recorded time for men is 1 hour and 25 minutes, and 1 hour 43 minutes for women.

A peak in New Zealand's Remarkables range of mountains is named after Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis is also a brand name of a whisky distillery in the nearby town of Fort William.

Ben Nevis is also the name of the ship that carried a congregation of Wendish settlers to Texas in 1854.[7]

Ben Nevis has recently been in the news due to the amount of litter on the walk to the summit. It was first highlighted by Radio 5 Live in 2005. Robin Kevan, a retired social worker from mid Wales who is also known as 'Rob the Rubbish' for his efforts to clean up the countryside, then drove to Ben Nevis and cleaned the mountain himself, resulting in much media coverage and a concerted clean up effort.[8]

On 17 May 2006, a piano that had been buried under one of the cairns on the peak was uncovered by the John Muir Trust.[9][10]