Ben Nevis and The Great Glen

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles and rises to 1,345 metres (4,411 ft) above sea level at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William and overlooking The Great Glen and the sea lochs of Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil.

The peak forms a great massif with mountains to the north and east; its immediate neighbour is Carn Mor Dearg to which it is linked by the Carn Mor Dearg Arête and in so doing encloses the magnificent Allt a’ Mhuilinn glen directly beneath. Both mountains are among the nine in Scotland over 4,000 feet, of which nearby Aonach Beag and Aonach Mor are also on the Ben Nevis massif.

The southern and western flanks of Ben Nevis rise 1,200 metres in about 2 kilometres above the River Nevis flowing down Glen Nevis with the result that the mountain presents an aspect of massive bulk on this side. To the north however, in contrast, the buttresses, ridges and cliffs of the mighty North Face of Ben Nevis above the Coire Leis offer some of the finest and sustained summer and winter climbing in Britain.

As a frequent visitor to this area, I try to capture its moods in my Ben Nevis and Great Glen Paintings.