Ben Nevis at a glance
- Elevation: 1,345 m (4,413 ft)
- Prominence: 1,345 m above its key col
- Range: Grampian Mountains (Lochaber, Highland)
- Country: United Kingdom (Scotland) · Europe
- First recorded ascent: 17 August 1771 — James Robertson, an Edinburgh botanist (first recorded ascent)
- Also known as: Beinn Nibheis (Scottish Gaelic) · the Ben
How to recognise Ben Nevis by eye
Seen from Fort William and Glen Nevis it reads as massive rounded bulk rather than a sharp peak; the dramatic 700 m cliffs hide on the north face. The summit is a stony plateau, often in cloud.
Why Ben Nevis matters
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. Its 700 m north-face cliffs are among the highest in Scotland, and the summit plateau holds the ruins of an observatory staffed continuously from 1883 to 1904.
Related peaks
- Table Mountain — 1,084.6 m, Cape Fold Mountains.
- Zugspitze — 2,962 m, Wetterstein Mountains, Northern Limestone Alps.
- Mount Everest — 8,848.86 m, Mahalangur Himal, Himalayas.
New to peak-spotting? Start with our guide to how to identify a mountain.
Source
Elevation, prominence, range and ascent facts per Ben Nevis — Wikipedia (accessed July 4, 2026). Where Wikipedia itself qualifies a figure (surveys change, snow caps shift), the qualification is preserved above rather than rounded away.