Also essential are water, a map (waterproof maps of Ben Nevis are available in Fort William), and a compass. Not everybody gets hungry on long days out, but taking at least a sandwich or some chocolate is sensible. But it’s still a lowly Grade II route. Tower Ridge is Ben Nevis’s most famous ridge, descending approximately 600m down the north side from close to Ben Nevis’s summit. Deine Route sieht auch nicht so überlaufen aus. There's a tricky step at the top… However, because the flank variation avoids Five Gully altogether, it is the only route to become clear of snow in very early season (May). Guided ascent of Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis. The CIC hut (NN168722) is actually a stone cottage, named after Charles Inglis (pron 'ING-gulls') Clark, the son of two pioneering Nevis climbers who was killed by a Mesapotamian sniper in 1918. This route via Carn Dearg (1221) is still a challenging route that has some sections of Grade 1 scrambles, surrounded by proper rock climbs. Wir werden sicher auch einmal wieder nach Fort William gehen, dann wird diese Route sicher zum Thema. The CMD Arete is the classic hill walker's ascent of Ben Nevis that should be on every mountain walker's tick list along side Crib Goch, The Snowdon. Ben Nevis: ledge route - See 2,457 traveler reviews, 2,373 candid photos, and great deals for Fort William, UK, at Tripadvisor. Here we can have a break whilst taking in the grandeur of the surroundings: the largest mountain face in the UK, made famous … Keep to the crest, ignoring the odd section of intermittent path on the south side. Follow this until it becomes impractical, then take a shallow gully that leads up and slightly left to a higher ledge. The main Ledge Route scramble line begins at the top of Carn Dearg Buttress and follows the obvious gentle upward ridge west. There are books that detail onlyice-climbs and those that do only rock-climbs. This is yet another scramble, this time climbing Ben Nevis via the Ledge Route on the North Face and up to Carn Dearg (1221) and along to the summit. The route starts from the CIC Hut and so can be started proper from either Glen Nevis or the North Face Car Park. As one of the easier routes up the North Face of Ben Nevis, Ledge Route is a fantastic introduction to the world of mountaineering in Scotland. Follow the arete east and then north-east to the summit of Carn Mor Dearg. … The Ledge Route is the best Scottish II route on Ben Nevis. That’s more, it is at a relatively low grade. The approach is quite scenic, walking through the big mountain circus of Ben Nevis. The two buttress faces to the left of it are the upper and lower Moonlight Gully Buttresses, both of Moderate grade, the lower being characterised by a distinctive letterbox-like cave. The Ledge Route up Ben Nevis. From here there are two ways to reach Four Gully, either by following the cliff, taking in the view from Carn Dearg summit (1221m), or by walking a contour, using the fact that the top of Four Gully is at a lower altitude (in fact it is the lowest point on the cliff-line). Hear pronunciation Press to hear pronunciation. Our first mountaineering route in Scotland, done with Max Hunter, from Hunter Mountaineering. The top of Five gully is mere yards from the Ledge Route cairn, and can be recognised by the steep rock of the north wall. The huge vertical buttress due west of it is that of Carn Dearg (NW). Slightly south of it is a small forestry (ie private) car park, and a deer stile: The Intake Eleven deer stile at NN148750 is just over two miles NNW of the CIC hut and the well-made direct path linking the two also connects to the public North Face car park about one mile further north at NN145765, road access to which is signposted from Torlundy on the A82. The … On Sunday I was out on Ledge Route again. Navigation is not difficult even in cloud, and consists of passing three major gully-tops in turn, counting down from Number Five to Number Three, at which point the tourist track is very close at hand. Apart from one rounded step, the rest of the ridge is easy ground until a final steepening and an unsurmountable wall on the right, speckled with much whiteish lichen. Search for: Brecon Beacons Walks ; Lake District Walks; Peak District Walks; Snowdonia Walks; South Downs Walks; Yorkshire Dales Walks; Log in; Register with Mud and Routes; Mud and Routes Main Menu. (The compass direction distinguishes it from the eponymous south-eastern flank of the Ben, a more peaceful spot typically reached by an undistinguished clamber from the Polldubh crags in Glen Nevis but best bagged by walking from the top of Surgeon's Rib, another grade one scramble approached from the top of a stone wall south of the old graveyard marked on both OS maps.). Click to draw, click on the last point to end drawing. This angle makes Ledge Route look very formidable (but see photograph below). Under snow and ice it is a grade II winter route and reputedly the best of its grade on the mountain. Ben Nevis has so many routes that there are several very goodguidebooks for the crags. Follow the crest of the … The cairn at the top (1214m) of Ledge Route is about a one-and-a-half kilometre walk from the summit of Ben Nevis and presents no difficulty on a clear day. All the main approaches to Ben Nevis from the north converge at it. Ledge route is a perfect introductory ridge for your first scramble or north face route and a great way to get to the summit of Ben Nevis. Break right up a worn grassy slope to the crux slabs. Either diversion abandons Ledge Route in favour of the grade three (serious) scramble up Tower Ridge (though it is possible to traverse rightward from the top of the Garadh to the slightly less demanding slopes of Raeburn's Easy Route). This difficulty is best evaded to the left when there is a choice between an sporting but possibly ill-advised immediate return to the crest or an easier ascent up the left flank at the same grade as the foregoing. From the CIC, the direct Ledge Routes are best reached from the slabs well right of the CIC waterpoint as one faces the letterbox buttress, beginning with a short descent to cross the merged watercourse from Coire na Ciste. There is a choice of approaches to the deer stile from Fort William, the nearest town and a good place to obtain supplies and equipment. The views you will get to enjoy during the ascent are tremendous. I'd like tothough! Kirkhope Mountaineering: Ben Nevis ledge route and the 3 Sisters - See 94 traveler reviews, 92 candid photos, and great deals for Fort William, UK, at Tripadvisor. Ben Nevis via the Ledge Route. After reaching the summit via Ledge Route it crosses the Carn Mor Dearg Arete (c.1050m) and returns along the north ridge of Carn Mor Dearg (1220m). Navigation is not difficult even in cloud, and consists of passing three major gully-tops in turn, counting down from Number Five to Number Three, at which point the tourist track is very close at hand. The most useful feature at the hut is the waterpoint, a black pipe that spews water drawn from above the sheep-line. Wear boots, not sneakers/trainers, ideally with part-worn soles for improved grip. From the closest point of the ruin sight through the case and walk that line until the edge of the plateau is reached, then head directly downhill for a quarter of a kilometre until the angle begins to ease slightly. The top of Four Gully is marked by a large, well-constructed cairn built in 2012 by Martin McCrorie to replace an older summit post deemed unseemly by the John Muir Trust, custodians of the top half of Ben Nevis since June 2000. Once the top of the buttress is gained, the nature of the route changes dramatically and a fine arete, in a spectacular position, is followed to the Ben's summit plateau." The first ascent of Ledge Route happened in 1897, at the time it was just another route to the summit of Ben Nevis, but now it is renown as one of the best routes of its grade anywhere in the United Kingdom. It reaches the Ledges after perhaps 200m and the cliff edge is about 150m further up the crest line. Looking across to the top of The Ben you could see many folk and a piper was blasting out a tune for the runners on the annual Ben Race. Thu, Aug 18, 2016, 9:30 AM: Classic Grade 1 scramble on the Ben, descent via CMD if weather is half decent or down the tourist path if not.Grade : Very HardDistance: 17 kmHeight : … From here head directly uphill - roughly south-east - and follow a straight line until you reach the tourist path leading to the summit. Probably the best route of its grade on Ben Nevis (and perhaps in the UK), Ledge Route has a bit of everything. Weather conditions can change surprisingly quickly on high ground and wind speeds at height can easily exceed fifty knots, resulting in significant wind chill. Easy climbs on Ben Nevis do not come much better than this. The Ledge Route is the North Face of Ben Nevis for non-climbers. This runs dry at height, and an intermittent path crosses and ascends left of (and occasionally entering) the now bouldered gully, leading to the north end of Coire na Ciste. This passes the top of a couple of minor gullies on the way (as well as some vertiginous drops), but Three Gully is easily identifiable by a large pinnacle dividing the gully-top. Ledge Route is the easiest way up the North face of Ben Nevis but still requires a good level of fitness so you can make the most of the day. Walkers should not be … The awkward gully top mentioned above is that of the 35m Fives Gully (VDiff), not to be confused with the 450m (Number) Five Gully already described. There are several different routes you can take to the summit of Ben Nevis (1,345m). It is the least-resistant line through North Face, and begins by surmounting the rough slabs south-west of the CIC hut before dropping into and across a grassy corrie, crossing the watercourses low down and ascending the right bank, traversing a scree cone leftward and climbing slabs to the right of a deep gorge. At NN134753 either continue along a level path to the car park, or secure your bike here and walk uphill following the main track SE and then ENE, turning left twice on the way to reach a bridge just below Intake Eleven itself, where the path from the NF car park emerges from the plantation. After reaching the summit via Ledge Route it crosses the Carn Mor Dearg Arete (c.1050m) and returns along the north ridge of Carn Mor Dearg (1220m). The guidebooks give it four stars (instead of the usual maximum three). This is the first climbing difficulty after an easy clamber over boulders (and, in early season, snow), but just before these two broken clefts the gully can be evaded to the right via a grassy slope and some damp slabs leading to a fairly easy left-rising ravine up to the southern crest of Carn Dearg Buttress. The arete joins the south-eastern shoulder of Ben Nevis about a thousand feet (300m) below the summit, and reaching the start involves a substantial descent of a fairly steep boulderscape. Due west, the immense gully to the left of Carn Dearg Buttress (NN163722), running forward and almost entirely viewable from the CIC, is Number Five. Follow the higher ledge to the right passing a large pinnacle block to reach the easy angled crest of the Great Buttress of Carn Dearg by a large cairn. It totals 450m of vertical climbing. Other browsers are no longer supported, infuriatingly. In cloud you will very likely hear people on the path before you reach it, but in any case it is impossible to miss unless there is substantial snow on the ground. Beyond the gully an anti-clockwise downclimb and (highly exposed) traverse-return on the southern buttress headwall may interest very experienced scramblers. This is just a small flattish area with a better view of the upper Trident Buttress to the south and Number Six gully and castle ridge to the north. Be aware that there are several exposed areas around here, especially on top of the wall. Intake Eleven, known to north-facers simply as "The Dam", is an aluminium company water intake tapping the Allt a' Mhuilinn (Mill Burn) at NN148751. Plus, the Ledge Route is considered a one way route by … Ben Nevis- Ledge Route Alpinismus Trail in Torlundy, Scotland (United Kingdom). After the crossing head uphill trending well right, reaching Coire na Ciste as soon as is practical and heading for the distinctive lochan (pool) at the north end. Better is to follow the ridge northwards, first to the subsidiary top Carn Dearg Meadhonach, then to the unnamed top halfway to the northernmost, Carn Beag Dearg. I climbed Ledge Route, a grade 2 winter mountaineering route, and filmed myself as I climbed. It soons returns to west and after a few very simple rock problems, reaches the ledges. The top is most easily negotiated by stepping down the first (eastmost) of two cracks on the right a few metres before the end of the approach wall and moving carefully along a thin ledge to the base of the second, from where a confident stride or short jump ends the difficulties. Ich sehe du hattest offenbar einer seltenen Tage erwischt, wo der Gipfel nicht in den Wolken war ;-). The route can be climbed in either summer or winter although the latter is considerably more popular when parties attempt it … This trail starts at sea level, and climbs all the way to the top, so you are looking at a 1300 metres (or 9 km) hike. The Ledge Route is the least well trodden of these three routes up Ben Nevis. Finding the start isn't as straightforward, but a reliable method is to descend a depression due west of the low point of the ridge below the unnamed top on the way to Carn Beag Dearg. From Coire na Ciste it joins the previous approach to slant gently upwards to and over the letterbox buttress and left into and across Number Five Gully to the top of Carn Dearg Buttress. … A natural step up from Tower Ridge this route takes the striking line on the dominating ridge of the North Face of Ben Nevis. In fact, it’s one of the best Scottish II routes anywhere in Scotland. However, that takes nothing away from its quality. This itinerary describes a circuit route starting and finishing at a deer stile to the north of Ben Nevis (1344m). Follow it downhill (very slightly north of west initially) all the way to Glen Nevis. This is an easy route up the north face of Ben Nevis and well worth it for the scenery. This isn't all that likely except in early season (May/June), but if so it is possible to follow a sequence of cairns to the summit: be aware that the correct line veers abruptly left at a cluster of three. Ledge Route is a grade 1 (ie easy) scramble up the imposing north-east face of Ben Nevis in Highland Scotland. Walkers based in Fort William can use the same approach, or could catch a bus to the distillery and follow the footpath behind the barrel store to merge with the track at NN132752, shortly before it turns uphill. In high summer, stay for the sunset because the light will last long enough to get down. Trend left to the crest and follow it downhill to a well-constructed cairn similar to that at the top of Number Four Gully. However, it’s easy to accidentally find yourself in the middle of a rock climbing route if you don’t know where you’re going. For all these reasons, you must take warm clothing and spare gloves, and you should carry light waterproofs even if the weather is good. 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