Vital repair work has begun this week on the Ben Nevis mountain path and walkers are being advised to consider alternative routes whilst the work is ongoing. The project will stabilise and improve over half the total length of the track between Achintee and St. John’s Wall as part of a £1m project lead by Nevis Landscape Partnership and funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Natural Heritage and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.
Ben Nevis from Cow Hill (photo: Nevis Partnership)
In total the work will take three years to complete, with this year’s contracts running from now until March 2016 to avoid the mountain’s extremely busy spring/summer period.
The work sites present major safety considerations, both for the contractors and the people using the path during the construction phase, due to the steep cross‐slope that the path is benched into which zigzags up the mountain. The Partnership says that walkers may wish to use alternative routes up the Ben during the this period such as starting at the North Face car park. Those choosing to take the Mountain Path should be aware of the works and follow the bypasses and instructions from the on-site contractors. The Partnership is also advising extreme caution for any night climbs or descents using the Ben Nevis Mountain Path during the construction period.
The Partnership says that the Ben Nevis Mountain Path is an extremely popular and well-used route and very much in need of these works to improve long-term stability of the path and reduce erosion. Ben Nevis visitor numbers are in excess of 100,000 annually and in addition to individual walkers there is an ever-growing number of charity climbs, challenge events and Three Peak groups. The Partnership says the lower Ben Nevis Mountain path is currently in a very poor condition and that it needs to take action now in order to safeguard the mountain path for future generations to enjoy. Organisers of group events on the Ben are urged to register their events with The Three Peaks Partnership or Ben Nevis Visitor Centre.
Cathy Mayne, Scottish Natural Heritage said, “We are delighted that work on this iconic and much-used path is now underway. The team from the Nevis Landscape Partnership have worked hard to put together an excellent package of contractors, working through the winter to limit the impact on public access to our highest mountain.”
Lizzie Cooper, Nevis Landscape Partnership said, “We are extremely grateful to our funders for their commitment to the repair and upgrading of the Ben Nevis Mountain Path, it will make a huge difference to this mountain route and help reduce erosion. However, all mountain paths need ongoing maintenance to keep them in good condition, so we would encourage all those who want to help look after our iconic mountain to sign up for a volunteer footpath work party with Friends of Nevis and John Muir Trust. It is a truly amazing experience, if not a little addictive!”