page_title: National Three Peaks Challenge
section_title: Ben Nevis
hierarchical_section_title: National Three Peaks Challenge / Ben Nevis
caption_attribution_description: The south face of Ben Nevis from Sgurr a' Mhàim. Taken by Blisco on 5 July 2005.
context_page_description: The National Three Peaks Challenge is an event in which participants attempt to climb the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours. It is frequently used to raise money for charitable organisations. Walkers climb each peak in turn, and are driven from the foot of one mountain to the next. The three peaks are:
  Ben Nevis / Beinn Nibheis, the highest mountain in Scotland
  Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England
  Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales
  The total distance walked is estimated at 42 kilometres or 44 km, with a total ascent of 9,800 feet.
context_section_description: Ben Nevis (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis, [peˈɲivəʃ]) is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William. It attracts an estimated 100,000 ascents a year, around three-quarters of which are made using the Pony Track from Glen Nevis on the south side of the mountain. For climbers and mountaineers the main attraction lies in the 700 m (2,300 ft) high cliffs of the north face; among the highest cliffs in the United Kingdom, they harbour some classic scrambles and rock climbs of all difficulties, and are one of the principal locations in the UK for ice climbing.
  The summit, at 1,345 m (4,413 ft) above sea level, features the ruins of an observatory, which was continuously staffed between 1883 and 1904. The meteorological data collected during this period is still important for understanding Scottish mountain weather. Charles Thomson Rees Wilson was inspired to invent the cloud chamber after a period spent working at the observatory, for which he was joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927.
caption: Ben Nevis from Sgùrr a' Mhàim
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