What we’re doing
Nevis is a popular destination attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. Over 100,000 people walk to the summit of the Ben – the UK’s highest point – every year. Around 40,000 enjoy the wild and rocky route through the Steall Gorge to the stunning Steall Ban waterfall (which appears in the Harry Potter film, Goblet of Fire).
We work to manage visitor impact by maintaining the upper stretch of the Ben Nevis summit path as well as the Steall Gorge trail. We collect litter in collaboration with local organisations such as Friends of Nevis. One quarterly litter clearance on the summit of Nevis filled 18 bin bags with rubbish left on the hill - 10 of them just banana skins (they can take years to degrade).
We carry out regular wildlife and habitat surveys at Nevis to inform our ecological restoration work. This includes deer control so that native trees, and other habitats, can regenerate. We are seeing year on year seedling growth in the area.
Trust land at Nevis lies within two protected sites of national and international importance. The Ben Nevis Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is noted for a diverse range of habitats and wildlife. The Ben Nevis Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) recognises important geological features.
We work with neighbours and other land managers in the Nevis Landscape Partnership to manage this special and popular area. We are currently working to repair the popular Steall Gorge path after a major rockfall in September 2016.
The best way to help protect Ben Nevis and the surrounding area is to become a member of the John Muir Trust.
About the land
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Includes the summits of three Munros: Ben Nevis, Carn Mor Dearg and Aonach Beag
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Home to the golden eagle, red deer, pine marten, water vole and wild cat as well as snow bunting, ptarmigan and rare butterflies such as the mountain ringlet.
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Contains 75 different species of lichen, including 33 considered scarce or rare in the UK.
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Means ‘venomous mountain ‘or ‘mountain with its head in the clouds’ – either could be accurate.
Download more information about Ben Nevis
