"High-quality Mountain Guiding and Climbing Courses across Scotland."
Ben Nevis Guided Open Group Walks | Ben Nevis Guides
Join one of our Open Groups for a Ben Nevis Guided Walk. £100 per person
Book a place on our Open Ben Nevis Guided Group walks
At Elite Guides we believe that private guiding really is the best option for most people but we accept that for solo travellers this might not be the right choice. From May to October we offer Ben Nevis Open Group Walks on a Wednesday and Saturday via the Mountain path. The cost for this is £100 person and is a great way to share your cost and experience with other, likeminded people.
These walk starts and finish at the Ben Nevis Visitors centre in Glen Nevis and the meeting time for the walk is 8 am. There is a parking charge of £8 per day for a car if you are driving or there are public transport links and plenty of local taxi firms available for the short drive from Fort William.
Every Wednesday and Saturday, through the summer.
You will also find a kit list below that is a requirement for you to attend. If you would like to know more about what to expect from the day you can look at our 'Guide to climbing Ben Nevis'
Book your place now
Booking terms and conditions
- All under 18's must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
- Maximum of 6 people booked onto each walk.
- For the walks to go ahead a minimum of Three people must be booked on that date.
- Payment must be made at the time of booking along with a completed Booking form.
- If Elite Guides cancels the walk due to minimum numbers not being met, you will receive a full refund.
- Should the weather have an effect on your booking, we either offer an alternative option for the day or we may set a 'maximum altitude' that you will reach as the alternative summit.
- Our normal terms and conditions apply.
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How Fit do I need to be to climb Ben Nevis?
Never an easy question to answer as everyone comes with their own 'idea' of what 'fit' is.
We would suggest that you are fit enough to walk for several hours, ideally with some elevation gain. Running 5K/10K regularly would certainly mean you are probably going to have a more pleasant experience.
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How should I train for Ben Nevis?
The simple advise is try and get as many miles as you can under your belt. Ideally with some ups and downs in there as well. Running, cycling or walking on a regular basis will help with building up your fitness.
Some form of conditioning for your lower legs would be good. Squats etc will help build up some strength and stability. Don't underestimate the stress and fatigue that yoiu are going to encounter on the way down. As the days go in your legs will get more tired and trips and stumbles on the decent are common.
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What food should I bring?
A mix of simple and more complex carbohydrates is best to keep most fueled.
Easy eating sweets and chocolate for an instant hit of sugar is great. Sandwiches/wraps can be good options to include as well as they can be eaten easily and quickly. If in doubt any food that you want to eat is going to be better than something you don't like
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Do I need to use walking poles?
This is a personal choice for many but it has been proven that using poles, especially on descent can reduce the stress put on your knees.
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What footwear should I use?
Comfortable walking boots or shoes that have a good group and enough support for your feet over rough ground would be ideal.
Normal street shoes and trainers usually are not suitable due to a lack of support. More and more people are using approach shoes/hiking trainers. These can be ore comfortable but lack the weather proofing of higher ankle boots.
Water proof boots would also be of benefit as it is likely you will get rain at some point but not essential. The path is on good rock rocky paths with only one river to cross.
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What if a member of the group has to turn around due to fitness or illness?
The outcome of this will depend on the individual situation but as a rule, we are happy for people to walk down from the Red Burn (halfway) by themselves if it is appropriate.
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Can I get transport to the start point?
No, I am afraid we are not insured for travel and transport.
There are plenty of local taxi companies who will be able to transport you to the start point.
