| Revision as of 00:14, 8 March 2004 editDino (talk | contribs)Administrators14,011 editsm more terse language← Previous edit | Revision as of 11:28, 27 April 2004 edit undo80.43.101.136 (talk) Geology addedNext edit → | ||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
| ] made his famous observations of | ] made his famous observations of | ||
| clouds leading to his invention of the ]. | clouds leading to his invention of the ]. | ||
| Ben Nevis consists of ] rock dating from the ] of ] history. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 11:28, 27 April 2004
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It stands 1,344 m or 4,409 feet above sea level. It is situated in the west of Scotland, close to the coastal town of Fort William, and it forms part of the Grampians. This imposing colossus is one of 284 Munros (mountains in Scotland that reach an elevation of 3,000 feet or more).
There is a relatively simple route to the summit known as the 'Tourist Route' that begins at the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre about one mile from Fort William town centre. The mountain is notorious for fickle weather, and considered dangerous; hikers have been killed as a result. Controversy continues to rage about the placing of navigation poles near the summit, currently they have been cut by environmentally conscious climbers who object to the aesthetic intrusion.
The origins of the name of the mountain are unclear. The word ben is certainly the Gaelic for peak. However several possibilities for the meaning of nevis have been suggested. This include 'venomous','burst' or 'flow' (from neb) and 'brow of keen air' (from neamh meaning 'keeness of air' and bhathais meaning 'brow'). Finally a locally popular suggestion is that the name derives from naomh meaning 'heaven'. However this etymology is rejected by linguists. Ben Nevis is also a brand name of whisky distillery down in the nearby town of Fort William.
There once was an observatory on the summit. It was while working here that CTR Wilson made his famous observations of clouds leading to his invention of the cloud chamber.
Ben Nevis consists of igneous rock dating from the Devonian period of geological history.