Discover of Ben Nevis
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Scottish Natural Heritage. Natural Scottish mountain highest Scotland’s by the Heritage Lottery Fund and and Fund Lottery Heritage the by A 10 mile return walk up up walk return mile 10 A this guide. Funding was provided provided was Funding guide. this the visitor centre. centre. visitor the for their assistance in producing producing in assistance their for of Ben Nevis Nevis Ben of There are public toilets at at toilets public are There Muir Trust and the Friends of Nevis Nevis of Friends the and Trust Muir We would like to thank the John John the thank to like would We WC The wild fl owers owers fl wild The Thank you Thank hearty food. hearty from the visitor centre, serves serves centre, visitor the from The Ben Nevis Inn, fi ve minutes minutes ve fi Inn, Nevis Ben The ©Laurie Campbell ©Laurie photograph: Cover May 2013 May Refreshments 978-1-907141-78-2 ISBN: safety and navigation leafl ets. leafl navigation and safety Tel: 01722 342730 01722 Tel: Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1DX, UK 1DX, SP1 Wiltshire, Salisbury, weather advice and any appropriate appropriate any and advice weather Plantlife, 14 Rollestone Street, Street, Rollestone 14 Plantlife, always ask at the Glen Nevis visitor centre for for centre visitor Nevis Glen the at ask always Registered in Scotland, Charity no. SCO38951. no. Charity Scotland, in Registered On arrival in the area, area, the in arrival On you set off from home. from off set you Company No. 3166339. Registered in England and Wales, Charity No. 1059559. 1059559. No. Charity Wales, and England in Registered 3166339. No. Company Please check the mountain weather forecast before before forecast weather mountain the check Please e is a charitable company limited by guarantee, guarantee, by limited company charitable a is e Plantlif to take a map, compass and waterproof clothing. clothing. waterproof and compass map, a take to life.org.uk www.plant It is vital vital is It which is steep and strenuous in places. in strenuous and steep is which Email: [email protected] Email: The route follows a well-maintained mountain track, track, mountain well-maintained a follows route The Tel: 01786 478509/479382 01786 Tel: Stirling, FK8 2QG FK8 Stirling, Walk grade Walk Balallan House, Allan Park, Allan House, Balallan plenty of plants to see on the lower slopes. slopes. lower the on see to plants of plenty Plantlife Scotland Plantlife the walk. You don’t have to climb to the top, there are are there top, the to climb to have don’t You walk. the Speaking up for the nation’s wild plants wild nation’s the for up Speaking 10 miles return. Allow six to eight hours to complete complete to hours eight to six Allow return. miles 10 Distance runs from Fort William to the Glen Nevis visitor centre. centre. visitor Nevis Glen the to William Fort from runs station in Fort William and in summer months, a bus bus a months, summer in and William Fort in station Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales of Prince The HRH Patron: William (grid reference NN122730). There is a train train a is There NN122730). reference (grid William Save it with fl owers. fl with it Save Start at the Glen Nevis visitor centre just outside Fort Fort outside just centre visitor Nevis Glen the at Start Where to start to Where Scotland’s countryside. Scotland’s adapted to life on rocks and scree. and rocks on life to adapted has to offer. to has bog and grassland, to alpine and arctic specialists specialists arctic and alpine to grassland, and bog Join us in enjoying the very best that nature nature that best very the enjoying in us Join wild plants change – from the fl owers of wet heath, heath, wet of owers fl the from – change plants wild to see close to the ground. See how the species of of species the how See ground. the to close see to heritage is in danger of being lost. being of danger in is heritage takes you through a range of habitats with much much with habitats of range a through you takes landscapes. But without our help, this priceless natural natural priceless this help, our without But landscapes. As well as stunning views of Glen Nevis, this walk walk this Nevis, Glen of views stunning as well As wildlife, and their colour and character light up our our up light character and colour their and wildlife, Wild fl owers and plants play a fundamental role for for role fundamental a play plants and owers fl Wild Scotland’s highest mountain highest Scotland’s A breathtaking walk up up walk breathtaking A and to protect their future. their protect to and here to raise their profi le, to celebrate their beauty, beauty, their celebrate to le, profi their raise to here Important Plant Area Plant Important walks ower fl Wild our nature reserves to the corridors of Holyrood, we’re we’re Holyrood, of corridors the to reserves nature our of Ben Nevis Ben of wild fl owers, plants and fungi. From the open spaces of of spaces open the From fungi. and plants owers, fl wild Plantlife is the charity that speaks up for Scotland’s Scotland’s for up speaks that charity the is Plantlife Discover We are Plantlife are We 1 Key Wild fl owers. Descriptions overleaf 2 3 Walk route B Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO © Crown A copyright. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey licence number 100032779 C Please take a map and compass and Discover 7 seek advice from the Visitor Centre 4 Ben Nevis 6 E F Important Plant Area 5 8 G H Directions D 1 From the visitor centre car park, cross the 9 wooden footbridge over the River Nevis, turn I right and follow the path beside the river. After J 300m turn left up the hill. 10 2 Climb over the stile and join the Ben Nevis 11 mountain track, which climbs up the western side 12 of Meall an t-Suidhe. This is also known as the pony track and was built in 1883 for construction of the K observatory on the summit. L 13 3 There are many plants growing on the banks by the path. You might see the carnivorous sundew, with its sticky droplets glistening invitingly, and bog asphodel, with its dramatic yellow fl ower spikes. Heather cloaks the land. 8 Ben Nevis supports a number of species of saxifrage. Easy to identify is the starry saxifrage with two yellow spots on 4 The slope to your right is covered in bracken, one of our native each white petal. See if you can spot mossy saxifrage. Alpine 12 Congratulations you have reached the summit at 1,344m ferns. As you climb look at the banks to your left and in the speedwell and milkwort species add a splash of blue to the above sea level. Very few plants can survive here, but there drains running across the path, and you might fi nd the aptly- path side. are some rare species of lichens, including one called goblin named lemon scented fern. lights which forms yellow patches in dark crevices. See if 9 Soon you will reach the start of the famous zigzags, which you can spot woolly fringe moss and, if you are lucky, the 5 As the path twists and turns, winding its way up the glen, lead you up through scree and boulders. The climb now beautiful moss campion with its dainty pink fl owers. eyebright, violets and thyme colour the banks in spring and begins in earnest. Watch the landscape change and the summer. Look for tormentil with its four petalled yellow vegetation diminish rapidly. Birch trees cannot grow here and 13 The building is an old meteorological station. From 1883 to fl owers. Birch, rowan and hawthorn can still grow at this are replaced by specialist species such as dwarf willow which 1904 it was manned throughout the year and observations altitude. In the summer months you can see the fragrant hugs the ground. Alpine ladies mantle stands out with its fi ve taken every hour. orchid with its spike of sweet smelling pink fl owers. lobed leaves. We strongly advise that you return by the same route. This 6 At 570m, the terrain fl attens. To your left is Lochan Meall an 10 By the time you reach the top of the zigzags you will be over will also give you a chance to look for any plants you missed t-Suidhe (pronounced Meal an T). This is often referred to as 1,000m above sea level. The temperature will have dropped on the way up. “half way lochan” but you’re not quite half way yet. Here noticeably. Here the specialised parsley fern can be seen wet heath supports sphagnum moss, deer grass and cross growing in the scree. leaved heath. Important Plant Areas (IPAs) 11 The slope now fl attens out and there is one last climb which Ben Nevis is internationally signifi cant for its threatened 7 At the junction of paths, turn right and head uphill on the leads to the summit plateau. There are some very steep drops, wild plants and is one of 52 Important Plant Areas (IPAs) in mountain track. You’ll soon cross the Red Burn stream under so make sure you stay on the path. A line of cairns follows a Scotland. For more information and to discover other IPAs to a waterfall. Look out for butterwort, which like the sundew grid bearing and not the path to aid navigation when the path visit, go to www.plantlife.org.uk/scotland catches insects.