NN1224973066 Start either from Glen Nevis Youth Hostel or from the visitor centre car park closer to Fort William (alternative not described: North Face car park at Torlundy). The former is steeper, the later slightly further - but there's more parking space, so this is the option highlighted on the map. Both routes meet at about the 160m contour. The well engineered Tourist Track then makes a long rising traverse above Glen Nevis, crossing a couple of little bridges before curving left above the cutting of the lower Red Burn. It now climbs steeply with a zigzag or two to reach a long easy incline near the 'Halfway Lochan' (Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe).

NN1471472399 At a sharp bend turn left off the main trail onto an engineered path that heads towards the outflow of Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe. Stay with this trail just until a muddier non-surfaced path branches right, and take this over boggy moorland below the scree slopes of Carn Dearg to enter the Allt a Mhuilinn glen. Leave the path before it starts traversing beneath the huge North Wall of Castle Ridge. Descend roughly northeast to meet the Allt a' Mhuillinn.

NN1774972154 Hop over the burn (needs care in spate), cross the North Face track, and continue roughly northeast, climbing pathless heather and boggy bits to meet an unmarked path on the northwest flank of Carn Beag Dearg. This gives a long but steady ascent onto the main ridge not far north of Carn Dearg Meadhonach. Climb over this summit and follow the ridge up to Carn Mor Dearg.

NN1670071248 From here the view of the north face of Ben Nevis is as good as it gets. Beyond this sharp summit the CMD (Carn Mor Dearg) Arete begins, and so does the real fun. The ridge forms a narrow arête of rounded blocks, sweeping around the head of the corrie in a grand arc to link CMD with Ben Nevis. In summer conditions there is always a well worn path weaving just below the rock steps, but it's generally more entertaining to stick to the true crest. The situations are spectacular and it's a little exposed at times, but the proper scrambling is minimal. Care is obviously needed in wet, icy or windy conditions. After making a rightwards bend the ridge drops to a low point of 1058m before climbing to meet the main mass of Ben Nevis at a point marked by a large cairn which marks a possible escape right into Coire Leis (this is not a very pleasant way to descend in any season, especially in winter when it can be very icy). The final ascent onto Ben Nevis is a long, thankless trudge up a boulder-strewn slope. In poor visibility and particularly in winter it's worth being particularly aware of the lip of the Brenva Face, just off to your right. An intermittent line of metal posts marks a safe route. On reaching the stony summit plateau bear left to the summit trig point and nearby ruins of a Victorian meteorological station. If needs must there's a shelter here, often used by the antisocial as the highest toilet in Britain.

NN1666371283 Descend the knee-jarring Tourist Track. Especially (but not exclusively) in winter, the summit plateau of Ben Nevis is a serious place, surrounded on almost every aspect with steep fall-off-able ground and edges that can be heavily corniced. In poor visibility accurate navigation may be called for. A rank of cairns indicates the safe way off, their size suggesting the possible depth of snow cover; if even they are obscured walk 150m from the trig point on a bearing of 231° grid to safely skirt Gardyloo Gully, then 282° grid for nearly 1km, bearing in mind the unseen presence of Five Finger Gully on your left, (scene of too many accidents) to reach the obvious zigzags of the Tourist Path. This stretch of the trail has recently enjoyed a partial re-surface, and is not as unpleasantly stony as it once was. Follow this path past the junction just above Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe (as described in stage 2) and retrace stage 1 back to Glen Nevis.