Ben Nevis at 1345m is the highest mountain in the British Isles and most people walking up this hill will do that via the tourist path. There are many alternatives and we offer a unique walk up Ben Nevis, with a night stay at the C.I.C. Hut. This will give people the flexibility to get up to the summit at night or have a 2-day window for picking the day with the better weather for the Ascent.
The C.I.C. (Charles Inglis Clark) Hut is arguably the only real mountain hut in the UK and offers the comforts of any bunkhouse. You have a gas cooker and heating, a drying room, a compost toilet and power outlets for low powered devices. You also have a fantastic location at the bottom of the North Face.
When arriving at the C.I.C. Hut we can make a decision on when you ascend to the summit. We can either walk up in the afternoon, have a night ascent or choose the walk up after a night in the hut. The choice can be due to the weather or what people would prefer to do. At night it certainly is much quieter at the summit than during the day.
There are also many choices of what route to take. We can approach the summit via Coire Leiss, do the Carm Mor Dearg Horseshoe or walk around to Lochan Meal an t-Suidhe (halfway lochan) and up the rest of the tourist path.
We hope that this trip will inspire people to do approach Ben Nevis in a different way.
Fort William
9:00am
Conditions on Ben Nevis can test even the most experienced. Short winter days, the ever-present avalanche risk and the requirement to navigate with accuracy make a compelling challenge. At Unexplored Scotland, we have over 10 years of experience in guiding and training in all winter conditions. We always choose the safer options and we have a friendly environment. It is a place to learn new skills and be relaxed about what you do. This trip will also give you the opportunity to stay at the only real mountain hut in the UK and gives you more flexibility. Check out our reviews in TripAdvisor to find out more about what it is like to take part in one of our trips.
We meet up in the morning and sort out all the equipment before heading up to the C.I.C. Hut. Once we have arrived there we have the option to crack on and go for the ascent that day, in the evening or the next day. There are also options on how to approach the summit.
Get up in the morning, have breakfast and then choose what do do. If we have already done Ben Nevis the day before we may just choose to descend back to the car.
