Ben Nevis Fact File
Country: Scotland
Height: 1344 m (4409 ft)
Range: Grampion Mountains
First to reach the summit: James Robertson on 17th August 1771.
Other Facts About Ben Nevis
- Ben Nevis is the highest peak in Scotland and it’s also the tallest mountain in the British Isles.
- Ben Nevis is all that’s left of an ancient volcano. It’s peak is the collapsed dome of the volcano that imploded millions of years ago.
- Snow can be found on the mountain nearly all throughout the year.
- James Roberston, a botanist from Edinburgh, was the first person to climb to the top of Ben Nevis. He did this on 17th August 1771.
- In 1818 the poet John Keats climbed the mountain,
- An observatory was built at the summit in 1883 to monitor the weather at high altitudes. This was open for 20 years and was then left unmanned due to lack of funding. It’s ruins can still be seen at the summit today.
- There is an emergency shelter at the summit for those who get stuck there in bad conditions, and there is also a World War 2 memorial located near the observatory ruins.
- Over 100,000 people climb Ben Nevis every year making it an important tourist attraction. Most of these people take the Pony Path, a track constructed to allow ponies to bring supplies to the observatory.
- The Ben Nevis Race, held annually in September, is a hill running race up and down the mountain. The best competitors can do this in less than 1 hour 30 minu.tes.
- Along with Scafell Pike (in England) and Snowdon (in Wales), Ben Nevis makes up the National Three Peaks Challenge – climbing all three mountains in 24 hours.
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