Stuck between a rock and a hard place; Purists argue cairns spoil Ben

It's an age-old argument and it just won't go away. The question of waymarking cairns on our mountains has split the climbing and hill- walking community with several suggesting such cairns should be flattened while others insist they are a life-saving navigational aid.

Some time ago, the Nevis Partnership, an association of groups with an interest in Ben Nevis including local tourism organisations, produced a strategy document that included a recommendation that waymarking cairns should be provided, "but should be kept to a minimum".

A wide-ranging consultation is under way but it looks as though a limited number of waymarking cairns will remain on the summit plateau of Ben Nevis, based on the assertion that many of those who climb our highest mountains are not necessarily hill-walkers and probably lack the navigation techniques to find their own way to the summit.

In many ways the situation on Ben Nevis is unique. There is a strong tourism interest - if visitors are encouraged to think climbing the Ben is relatively safe and they won't get lost in the mist, more of them will attempt it. On the other hand, if they realise they have to navigate to the summit themselves, then many simply won't bother.

There are also climbers who feel that navigating off the Ben, particularly in winter, can be hazardous, and want waymarks to help them. But many believe mountaineering is about self-reliance and fundamental to that is being able to navigate in adverse conditions without having to rely on man-made contrivances.

The vast majority of visitors to Ben Nevis climb it by the old "pony track" that runs up from Achintee in Glen Nevis. Often misnamed the "tourist track", this route is long and tedious, and avoids any view of the wonderful north face of the mountain. To climb Ben Nevis without even seeing a hint of the prominent ridges, cliffs, towers and buttresses of the north face is like going to the beach and not seeing the sea!

There are, of course, a plethora of routes that wriggle their way up towards the summit plateau via the ridges and gullies of the north face but most are rock climbs and require specific skills and equipment.

Tower Ridge and North-East Buttress are two prominent and relatively easy routes, while Ledge Route is probably the best of the scrambling routes, a combination of exposed walking and mild scrambling that culminates on a narrow ridge that leads to the summit of Carn Dearg.

My favourite route to the summit is the stiff climb up into Coire Eoghainn beside the Polldubh waterslide from Glen Nevis, a hard but spectacular route up to the Carn Mor Dearg Arete from where the top can be easily reached.

This route is steep, there's no doubt about that, but the views of upper Glen Nevis are superb. I last climbed up here in spring time and seen through the pale green tracery of the early summer birches, the woods and lower slopes of the upper glen looked freshly minted, alive and resonant with new life.

This gentle world vanishes when you enter Coire Eoghainn. There is a harsh edge to the scenery up here as you climb into a stone desert. Above, the east ridge of Ben Nevis drops from the summit and within a few hundred metres abuts with the graceful curve of the Carn Mor Dearg Arete.

The summit of Ben Nevis lies immediately above, complete with its emergency shelter and the ruins of the old weather observatory. It may be the highest point in the UK but the real attractions of this walk lie below. Return to the Carn More Dearg Arete and make your way across this thin fin of curved stone. It is a scramble, but it's an easy scramble, and if the crest of the Arete is too airy for you, it's easy enough to trace a less exposed route on the east side of the ridge.

Soon the views of the great buttresses and ridges and gullies of the north-east face begin to open up. This is the character of the mountain laid bare before you, and there is no better vantage point than from the summit of Carn Mor Dearg. Descend Carn Mor Dearg's narrow east ridge now to the head of Coire Guisachan, then wander down beside the free-flowing waters of the Allt Coire Guisachan to the ruins at Steall where a path runs back through the Nevis Gorge to Polldubh.

FACTFILE Map: OS Sheet 41, Harveys Ben Nevis, 1:25,000 Distance: About 8 miles Approx time: 8 hours Start/finish: Upper Polldubh car park, Glen Nevis Route: Climb the steep slopes beside the waterslide into Coire Eoghainn, then head in a north-east direction to where the eastern ridge of Ben Nevis joins the Carn Mor Dearg Arete. Continue climbing to the summit of Ben Nevis. Return to the Carn Mor Dearg Arete and cross it to reach Carn Mor Dearg. Descend the eastern ridge to the head of Coire Guisachan and follow the Allt Coire Guisachan south to the ruins at Steall. Follow the footpath past the Steall Cottage wire bridge and through the woods back to the car park.

Copyright 2004 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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