Malcolm left for Glasgow early this morning and Dad and I had breakfast. He persuaded the kitchen staff to make me some sandwiches and I was on my way towards Glen Nevis by 8:40 am. By 9 am I started on the trek up to Ben Nevis. At 4406 ft it is a mecca for people in the UK wanting to stand on the highest point in their land, and I was not alone as I set out up the rocky path. The last time I tried this walk was around Xmas/New Year 1994/1995 and we hit a thick blizzard about half way up. Completely whited out, we decided to turn back and I was very glad to do so. So today's trip was something of a bit of unfinished business and I felt in good shape as I hiked. The route is in two stages, after a short climb there is a route along a gully that connects you to the Ben. The views are breathtaking all the way up, despite the fact that you don't actually see the summit for at least an hour. Once again it was a perfect walking day with temperatures around 20C/70F and clear skies offering good visibility. I summited around 11:45 am after a lengthy toil to the top and even a scramble up a snowy bank towards the end. The summit is very barren and rocky with a hiker's refuge for really bad conditions. Today was just windy and chilly at the top and I would definitely have benefited from a wooly hat and a pair of gloves for the last section/summit. Nevertheless it was great to be there and I wandered around taking in the views for about 30 min followed by a wee dram and lunch before beginning the decent around 12:15 pm down the same track. I got back to the base around 2:30 pm and was really pleased to see that they had converted a barn into a pub strategically positioned to lure in weary hikers. I did not resist! After a quick drink I was back in Fort William around 3:15 pm and met up with Dad who had had a relaxing day at the guest house. The trip up the top was the perfect way to end the walking week and I look forward to another trip sometime in the next 5-10 yr once the boys are old enough to make it. It was really great to see people of all ages on the mountain, and lots of dogs too! Dad and I caught the evening train back to Glasgow and returned to our starting destination in Milngavie for one more night of B+B before we part company tomorrow. I discovered it is Father's day tomorrow so have got him a little surprise - it's not often that we are actually in the same location any more on FD.
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