UKH

Hoping to go to Ben Nevis in February to go ice climbing and wanting to camp? 

Any advice on camping this time of year obviously will be cold but advice would be much appreciated ????

You could camp by the CIC hut if you've got a decent tent. It would be an experience, good or bad.

Wild camping in Glen Nevis across the road from Poll Dubh used to be OK but may be a bit dodgy these days if you intend to leave your tent up during the day.

The campsite at Roy Bridge is run by a total fanny and probably closed in winter anyway so I'd give it a miss.

Not sure whether the big one in Glen Nevis is open in Feb but Google is your friend.

http://www.linnhe-lochside-holidays.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq66bm96f3wIVlu...

This is a nice site, in Corpach. It has a drying room, decent showers and even a bath ! There is also a small shop, in summer. Don't know if that is open in winter though.

Note: They don't refund camping fees if you leave early, so pay a day or two unless you are definitely staying for n days.

If it looks windy and shit you can camp a couple of places near the top of the treeline on the way in to the north face. Trees will give a little shelter.

what about camping at glencoe mountain , you could do a bit of skiing while your there .. anyone got any info on camping there ?  

......the good news is you'll probably be travelling home a helluva lot lighter.   

Ive found finding open campsites around there a faff in winter and sleep in my car for a few days...this has the advantage of enabling u to be more mobile and able to shift locations as the weather varies just pack all ur maps and guidebooks and fill ur tank up regularly..... Theres a knack to getting a good nights kip but theres no flappy tent making a god awful noise and it is a little bit warmer....

It may not be cold, it may be warm and wet.

Have you thought about hostels and bunk houses? Not much more expensive but warmer, drier and you're likely to keep your psyche levels higher if you're more comfortable off the mountain. 

David

Plenty spots in Glen Nevis just keep away from the areas sign posted no camping. Obviously need to pack away the tent in the morning. As per r1ch if you're roadside there's really no reason not to use the car unless you're in a mini or there's more than 2 of you.

A bit nostalgic, but we always used the underground car park in fort William, as long as you were getting an early start and so less likely to get benighted, the police were quite sympathetic.

Nostalgia again, the old minis and escort saloons were quite adequate for sleeping six footers if you used a couple of minutes spanner work to turn the front seats  90 degrees or loosened the backs so they reclined. The maxi (when it went) converted to a flat double bed, luxury.

Most sites are closed for the winter, which is a shame as there probably is good trade to keep one good site open if it was appropriately managed and tailored to the hill-walking, climbing and winter campervan market; No locked gate, honesty system for late arrival early departures, drying room, bothy/communal area with wood burner etc.  However most campsite owners are fed-up of the sight of 'guests' by the end of the season...….

I've used campsite between Speanbridge and Roybridge in winter a handful of times, pitching on the central square area of grass. A toilet and possibly a ?shower are open.  Feels a bit odd as you're surrounded by static caravans, some with permanent residents.  Somebody usually asked for the cash.................I suspected they weren't actually the owners or caretaker!  Never had any problems though.

The Red Squirrel in Glencoe is always open, but can be noisy at w/e's.

The Bunroy, Roybridge site is closed in winter, its under new ownership, I asked if they had any intention of extending their season but no.  They'd have to apply for amended planning permission to open all year, and would have outgoings in the form of staffing, business rates, water, heating, and refuse.  They thought it wouldn't be worth the effort. 

Some long an in-depth posts here, all misplaced. There is a one word answer:

Don’t.

Camping and Scottish winter climbing isn't necessarily the best combination if you want to get plenty of climbing done and not suffer too much. It's hard to stay dry, warm and motivated if it's more than a couple of nights, I've found. That said, it can work out well for short trips - especially so if you're doing more mountaineering than harder routes (so you can carry less gear, and keep moving in the day rather than standing still for hours on a succession of spindrift-raked belays). Save it for nice weather.

Here are some general camping advice articles:

Top Tips for Winter Camping: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/skills/series/camping/top_tips_for_w...

Ten Top Tips for Wild Camping: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/skills/series/camping/ten_top_tips_f...

The Dos and Don'ts of Roadside Camping: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/skills/series/camping/the_dos_and_do...

Why pay for a commercial campsite in winter? If you want to go out in the wilds then there is no other option and it's free. There are so many hostels/independent hostels, B&B's etc. around that are only slightly more than the fee's charged by campsites.   

We camped a few times under the Ben and outside the CIC, thirty years ago. It was tough and uncomfortableand you felt it the next day when you went climbing. Good training for Patagonia though...

If going for a hostel, I've found Travelodge cheaper for a twin room (with 2 people of course) in Fort William than hostel prices. Much better sleep but no kitchen.

Let's say you are staying about a week so a couple of nights max roughing it at the tree line to get some early starts then treat yourself to some better accommodation, a drying room and a day off. Repeat. Weather forecasts are pretty accurate these days so try to work it around the best weather.

I did this last season. Turned the place into a gear drying room. Was comfy though.

If you're planning a wild camping trip, be sure to familiarize yourself with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. ... As part of Scotland's access legislation, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, you are allowed to camp on most unenclosed land. However, due to overuse, 

One way to think about it: what are you – or, do you want to imagine you are – training for? Depending on the answer to that, Dan Bailey's post has a lot of sense to it.

I’ve just booked premier inn for £16 a person (2 people) which isn’t much less than a campsite and it’ll be warm and quiet and real food. I’m not usually so fussy but when you are wrecked from a hard day and you have to pile into a tent for the many hours or cold darkness it’ll probably be a bit crap for morale 

Camped just above CIC hut for 3 nights,Feb 2012 in a quasar,had a great time.

Pros: saves daily walk-in from car park,gives better chance of beating queues,memorable experience,dead cosy as long as tent stays put!

Cons: heavy load carry up and down,takes some time to dig in,pitch tent securely and up sticks on leaving.

If your tent admin's good and you fancy the challenge of a proper wild camp in the snow,I'd go for it.If your a good sleeper, flapping noises won't be a problem,all part of the experience isn't it?

Fwiw we used a buried deadman to anchor the windward guys to.

Good luck !

I prefer camping above the snow line, after my first journey up there and staying at a small campsite experience, the ground was mushy as temps not cold enough, and the rain made the experience pretty miserable. Next time camped at the half way lochan on the tourist side, much better, ground hard so no mush. A bit exposed, but nothing a quasar cannot handle. The difficulty was in getting a good nights sleep back then, even with my big old thermarest I struggled to sleep through. Better now though as gear is better, I now have an exped downmat 7cm thick large and i sleep like i am at home.

In the very early days me and a mate fancied Winter camping on the summits. We had a frosty night up on Earl's Seat on the Campsies and an eventful night when gales destroyed the fibreglass poles on the summit of Ben Venue (Trossachs).

Then it was time to try Ben Nevis which cured us of any further attempts. I didn't have crampons and the Red Burn side of the hill was a sheet of neve down to the half way lochan. When we reached the plateau whiteout conditions made us stop and pitch the tent fairly quickly. Once inside for a short period we heard voices nearby. Popping my head out I shouted, "can you give me a bearing for the top?'

"No" was the answer.