Firstly I would like to thank all the people at UK Outdoor Pursuits. They had to organise an impossible amount of people, taking them from their front door to the top of Ben Nevis and back! Special thanks goes to the representatives of the various charities (Marie Keating Foundation - Co-Operation Ireland - Ulster Cancer Foundation) who made this an excellent weekend to remember!!!
We set off at an ungodly hour and began our assent of "The Ben". As we got higher the weather began to get very misty and a light drizzle began to fall. If I had to voice some concerns about the trek it would be the pace it was taken at. We spent a very long time simply standing on the trail. During this time we got cold and wet. We would then move for another short burst before waiting on the back of the group to catch up. This was very annoying for people who are well used to finding their own pace and moving up a mountain. I wonder could the group have been taken up in 3, fast, normal and slow, to prevent the long waits and bottle necks?
See the photos here!
With such a large group there was some complaining from other groups of walkers who were forced off the trail due to our large concentrated volume. That said I don't think they were too upset having to push through the crowds! As we approached the top it started to rain quite heavily. I was a little disappointed by the low cloud cover but fully expected it, as I had read that there is only a 1 in 6 chance of the summit being clear on a Ben Nevis accent!!! It was also quite mild at the top...not the North Face of Everest temperatures we were warned about ;)
The decent was a little crazy, due to the fact that we were now allowed to decent at our own pace. Some of the people who had been at the top of the group set off at a furious pace down the mountain, which in cases was most definitely dangerous. It rained the whole way down....but at the end we were greeted by cheering Scots and a shot of whiskey (It was all worth it!). I must say again that the charities made a HUGE effort to make our trip better, and they did a thoroughly excellent job.
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