Err thats it really… Can you bike up Ben Nevis?
Someone told me there used to be a sign 3/4 of the way up saying ‘no bikes’ but what the score, anyone know?

It’s perfectly legal, but not much of a ride.

“but not much of a ride”

Not up, but I thought the down was really good? Or so an article in mbr led me to believe (up/down the main path on the west face of it)

Waste of time. Our lot did it last year and it ws 90% walking with your bike.

90% walking up? or down?

What bikes did you have? And how good are you?
It might be different for someone else? (though it might not).
Sorry, I’m sounding like a nob, just ben nevis was on my ‘to do list in my head’ after reading/looking at the article/photos in mbr a little while back

There were about 15 of us and even the most experienced (the two chaps that ride with Guys crew and test bikes for a living) walked more than 70% of it.

We were on a mix of bikes, some singlespeeds (useless for this obviously)some geared long travel HTs, some full-sus including my rocky ETSX and Chris on his 5 spot.

The riding was all on the way down. You could ride for 100-200 meter stetches on the way up at a few intervals, but that’s about it. Some of the paths are quite narrow and shear, so the price of failure was pretty high.

Still enjoyed it as an event, but not a “ride” I’d do again.

i doubt you could cycle up unless you were exceptionally good, fit and on a light bike as there are steps you’d have to clear every few yards. Then coming down would be an issue as a light bike wouldn’t handle it – you’d need a decent downhiller. Im not saying it can’t be done – but i wouldnt want to try. It’s pritty fooking steep up the top.

Slightly OT, but I remember topping out from one of the gulleys at 3pm on a dreich one december a couple of years back to be confronted with a guy on a unicycle on the summit. After a bit of chat we headed down the tourist path. Despite expecting him to pass us on the way down as he said he would, he never did. Bearing in mind it was pretty wintry, crampons, ice axe etc. and he had no lights, I sometimes wonder what happened to him…

As for your post- of course it’s possible to take a bike up and down, some removal guys took a piano to the top. Parts would make a good ride in either direction, but these are very short (100m or so) and interspersed with bits that would be no fun. Add this to the hordes wandering up and down in summer who would piss you off no doubt as you’d have to stop/ you’d piss them off with the hassle of getting past one another, and I wonder why you’d bother really.

In short, you can do it, but there’s far better riding nearby, and if you just want to get to the top, the CMD is a far better route. I reckon it’s a mountain best served cold, preferably with crampons/axe/skis/board.

I went up Ben Nevis yesterday and was looking at the potential for biking down it. Reckon it’d be a goer no probs on a quiet day with some slack angles and youthful ballsiness. Probably only a few sections to walk down. Getting up would be a bit more problematic, just a fair bit of shouldering.

I did Helvellyn in the summer and that was quite a bit of shouldering too, but the descent was out of this world down past Dollywagon and the like. I reckon the Ben wouldn’t be dissimilar but maybe just a bit more full on for longer. Can’t wait to try.

Don’t take it off your to-do list.

I’m sure someone posted here last year with a route up from the golf course to the SMC hut which was a great descent. That might be more worthwhile as you actually get to see the best bit of the mountain (all of which is hidden from the tourist path).

That’s a wee bit different druidh, and certainly more interesting, although you’d still need to nip round to the bottom of the zigzags to get to the top. Either that or an enjoyable shoulder up to the CMD 😉 .

i rode up to the loch from the north face carpark , ridable except for 3-4 drainage ditches … hard climb on 29:34 but would be ok with granny ring if you know how to work the bike.

Hard descent , cooked my brakes as its switch backs that you need to slow down for !

If its wet forget trying to ride it , Its a dry weather only ride. I used a 4inch heckler and sids … if i was doing it again id use a good climbing 5inch bike with a bit slacker head angle and some bigger brakes ….perhaps wider tires as well , got a pinch flat when desending …….its a great descent !

posted the photos last year

rode up that ditch on the right hand side….not the stairs..

My initial plan was to ride up the north face path to the loch then ride down the main path but the main path is largely un ridable as its alot steeper than you think and you gain ALOT of speed that the tires i was on couldnt get any traction on the surface to slow me down.

Thank you Trail_Rat. At my age it’s nice to have confirmation that your memory is still OK 🙂

thanks guys. Fancy the route from the N, up to the mountain rescue post, then round to the bottom of the zigzags, look up and see if i fancy it, and if not drop down the east side to the SYHA.

Looks a nice steep drop but is the drop down there ok – i mean on an alpine scale of scariness obviously but any worse than verbier ultiate or some of the more exposed zermatt stuff?

Cheers
Si

Slightly OT, but I remember topping out from one of the gulleys at 3pm on a dreich one december a couple of years back to be confronted with a guy on a unicycle on the summit. After a bit of chat we headed down the tourist path. Despite expecting him to pass us on the way down as he said he would, he never did. Bearing in mind it was pretty wintry, crampons, ice axe etc. and he had no lights, I sometimes wonder what happened to him…

That was Steve Colligan, scoping it out for doing all the three peaks on unicycles. Which several of them completed 6 months later. He just recently rode from Lhasa to Kathmandu via Everest Base Camp. He’s quite a serious mountaineer too.

Joe

I heard that The John Muir Trust who own Ben Nevis are currently calling for restraint on events that ascend and descend the Ben. They are concerned that things like the multiple 3 peaks races that there are now are causing excessive erosion, especially on the upper scree slopes. I think they would be concerned about the prospect of lots of mountainbikers trying to negotiate the tourist path. I really want to do the path up/down from the CIC hut though.

Oh, and Crouch Potato, just to be a super pedant, it would have to either be “the CMDA” or “CMD”. Saying “‘the’ CMD” doesn’t make sense. 😉

There is a gully that runners take down it that cuts across some of the switchbacks. It is jolly steep and full of rocks. You would probably die. But it might be fun too.

Personally I’d not bother going up Ben Nevis on foot or bike though – just isn’t an interesting path. It gets so crowded too, which would be a hassle.

Joe