Having it large

Enough arthouse hills - time for a blockbuster! Ben Nevis is not renowned for its weather, so I decided to jump at the chance of a free day in the midst of this preternatural spell of fine summer weather. It had to be something new, something big, something with with plenty to goggle at -  so, Ben Nevis by the Carn Mor Dearg arete it was.

Climbing, sweating, drinking like a fish, fighting the heat, nursing cramped legs, scrambling, scraping shins on granite, gawping at vertigo-inducing cliffs, catching the shouts of climbers, peering down on the distant roof of the CIC hut, sun-baked ranks of mountains to the horizon... I even got a little dose of solitude towards the end of the day. Heading for the Allt a'Mhuillin path, I peeled off the congested tourist trail down Ben Nevis and headed north above Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, and was quickly enveloped by the sunlit peace of the moor. By the Allt a'Mhuillin I stopped for a final brew, just to watch the water, rocks and sky for a while, soak up the warmth and enjoy the scent of bog myrtle.

There's no world shortage of photos of this route, but here are a few more anyway.














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