Ben Nevis | |
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Beinn Nibheis | |
Ben Nevis from Banavie. The summit is beyond and to the left of the apparent highest point.
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,344.527 m (4,411.18 ft) |
Prominence | 1,344.527 m (4,411.18 ft) Ranked 1st in British Isles |
Parent peak | none – Highest peak on island of Great Britain |
Listing | Munro, Marilyn, Council top (Highland), County top (Inverness-shire), Country high point |
Coordinates | 56°47′49″N 5°00′13″W / 56.79685°N 5.003508°WCoordinates: 56°47′49″N 5°00′13″W / 56.79685°N 5.003508°W |
Naming | |
Translation | Venomous mountain or mountain with its head in the clouds (Scottish Gaelic) |
Geography | |
Location | Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, UK |
OS grid | NN166712 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 41, Explorer 392 |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 17 August 1771, by James Robertson |
Easiest route | Pony Track/Ben Path |
Ben Nevis (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis, pronounced [peˈɲivəʃ]) is the highest mountain in the British Isles, located in Scotland. Standing at 1,345 metres (4,411 ft) above sea level, it is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William.
The mountain is a popular destination, attracting an estimated 100,000 ascents a year, around three-quarters of which use the Pony Track from Glen Nevis. The 700-metre (2,300 ft) cliffs of the north face are among the highest in Scotland, providing classic scrambles and rock climbs of all difficulties for climbers and mountaineers. They are also the principal locations in Scotland for ice climbing.
The summit, which is the collapsed dome of an ancient volcano, features the ruins of an observatory which was continuously staffed between 1883 and 1904. The meteorological data collected during this period are still important for understanding Scottish mountain weather. C. T. R. Wilson was inspired to invent the cloud chamber after a period spent working at the observatory.
"Ben Nevis" is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic name "Beinn Nibheis". "Beinn" is the most common Gaelic word for "mountain", "Nibheis" is variously understood, though the word is commonly translated as "malicious" or "venomous". An alternative interpretation is that "Beinn Nibheis" derives from "beinn nèamh-bhathais", from "nèamh" "heavens, clouds" and "bathais" "top of a man's head". One translation would therefore be "the mountain with its head in the clouds", though "mountain of Heaven" is also frequently given.