Woke up fairly early and, typically, the weather had taken a turn for the worse — low cloud cover, rain, and generally gloomy skies. Not exactly the ideal conditions for tackling Ben Nevis, but there we were.
Had breakfast, packed up our gear, and drove the 8 miles into Fort William to find parking. Arrived around 9.30am, but the visitor centre car park was absolutely rammed — no chance of getting in. Luckily, just 100 metres down the road, we found a farmer’s field offering cheaper parking. Perfect result!
Waterproofs on, bags packed, and before starting the climb we popped into the visitor centre for a quick look around and grabbed a souvenir fridge magnet. Then we were off.
The trail was busy, which wasn’t surprising as it was the Bank Holiday — people everywhere, from all over the world, all sorts of nationalities and backgrounds. It was actually really interesting to see.
Thankfully, the rain eased off quite quickly, and before long we were too hot and started shedding layers as we continued the climb. But wow… it was hard work. I really struggled right from the start. Tash was much better, but she stuck with me, matching my super-slow pace — the exact same “Kilimanjaro pace” I adopted back then. I just couldn’t go any quicker, and I know exactly why: zero training. My fault entirely.
We stopped loads of times, not to eat, just to rest and catch our breath. The mountain felt relentless — the path just kept going, disappearing steeply into the clouds above us. And with the low visibility up there, it felt endless. This was our third peak in our “three peaks” adventures, and once again the weather had stitched us up. I’ll be honest — I was fed up and doing a fair bit of moaning and groaning on the way up.
After a 4.5-hour slog, we finally reached the summit. There was a 30-minute wait just to take the classic summit photo — completely pointless but, of course, we queued and got it anyway. Then it was time to start the long descent.
The journey down took about 3 hours, partly because the weather finally improved a little. The clouds parted here and there, and for the first time we got glimpses of the stunning views we’d been missing — absolutely breathtaking. It was a bittersweet reminder of “what could have been” if the weather had been kinder.
Once at the bottom, we headed straight to the Inn at the Foot of Ben Nevis for a well-earned drink — went down a treat. Then we drove back to the campsite, absolutely shattered but happy to be done.
Tash sorted dinner, we both cracked open a drink, and we just sat outside overlooking the loch as the sun slowly set. The aches were kicking in, but it was peaceful, calm, and a really lovely evening to unwind after such a big day.
A good day overall — glad I did it, proud to have ticked off Ben Nevis, but once again my lack of preparation left me struggling and, honestly, a little embarrassed.
When will I EVER learn?!
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