The Mountain Path Up Ben Nevis (And The Reason We Probably Wouldn't Do It Again)

We finally made it to the top of the UK, but was it worth it? We start very early on a Saturday morning and end up on the top of Scotland before breakfast! Fair to say though, it's not all we expected...

Filmed on Saturday 22nd June 2024
Thumbnail designed using Canva
This video is not sponsored and all opinions are my own

I don’t pretend to be a travel expert, but I love what I do and would be honoured if you came along with me. My channel focusses on the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of finding somewhere new, and my genuine reaction to it. You may not get a history lesson in my videos, but who knows, you might pick up some useful travel tips along the way, add a few destinations to your bucket list and hopefully be entertained by what you see. Thanks for watching, it means a lot to me :)

I do ALL of this myself. Planning, filming, editing, promoting, all with a weekly upload schedule, so please understand not every video will be an epic adventure. But my pledge is to always do my best in any situation and KEEP THE CAMERA ROLLING :)

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FAQs:
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I was born in Glasgow but have lived in Carnoustie, Dalgety Bay, Stonehaven, Edinburgh, Montrose, and further afield (Salamanca, Spain & Devonport, New Zealand)
WHEN DO YOU UPLOAD?
Saturdays at 10am Scottish time. Occasionally a bonus midweek video will pop up (in which case, likely to be Tuesday at 5pm)
WHY IS THERE A DELAY BETWEEN TRIP AND VIDEO APPEARING?
This is both my business model and a result of doing everything myself. Editing takes time and I also like to schedule videos a bit in advance in case of any problems/illness/cancellations etc. Keeping my uploads appearing every Saturday is important to me, so I don’t want anything to get in the way of it. Also, I occasionally need some time off to recover from trips! But more than anything else, it's about budgets. I generally need to film a number of videos on each trip to break even. And each one of these take a while to fall into place on a Saturday morning.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
WHY DON'T YOU SPEND LONGER AT DESTINATIONS?
The usual suspects I'm afraid - time and money! Hotel prices especially these days make my eyes water like a true Scotsman. Also my weekly upload schedule means I need to keep on the move.
WHERE'S ALICJA?
Alicja will feature whenever possible, but she has her own life and a proper job so it can take a while for our schedules to match up. Trust me though, I prefer it when She is there too!
DO YOU PAY FOR YOUR OWN TRAVEL?
Yes I do. I've only ever accepted a complementary ticket as compensation for a previous problem. All my opinions are frank and honest reflections of travel as I experience it.
WHY THE ADS?
It's my income, I can't do this for free. Notice I don’t have mid-roll ads though!
CAN I CONTACT YOU?
I used to list my email address but felt bad not having the capacity to respond to everything so took it down (and I got a LOT of spam so missed many genuine messages along the way).
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THE CHANNEL?
Watching my videos is of course support enough, but if you'd like to support further, I'll pop links in here for Paypal and Patreon. All kind donations are super-appreciated and will go 100% towards future filming trips.
DO YOU ACCEPT SPONSORSHIPS?
I don't like to upset the flow of my videos, so I don't even include mid-roll ads anymore (at significant loss of income to myself), so I prefer not to include sponsorships either. I'm open to a small slide at the start/end of each video, but I don't want to get into talking about products, it's something I don't like as a viewer myself (especially as a viewer who pays for YouTube Premium). So it's probably a polite no, although all of this goes out the window if you offer me something which can give me the chance to make a video for my audience that would otherwise be impossible.

#SteveMarsh #BenNevis #Scotland

[BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

On my honeymoon 6 years ago (December 2018) my wife and I climbed Cairngorm in snow that was often in excess of 9ft deep. It nearly broke both of us but the sense of achievement at the summit was one I will never forget. I fell through the snow many times (up to the crutch) and even though we were dressed for the hike we both had soaking wet feet by the time we finished. My wife had her dog with her too, but he seemed to enjoy the trip!
Ironically it was my wife who inspired me to undertake this monumental hike (well it was for me) as she likes to challenge herself.
I should add we were both in our 50's at the time, and my wife is totally blind. She's my hero.

[rogernevin]

Brought back fond memories. I first climbed it in July 1997, the weather was perfect up and down (incredible views), Second time was June 2000, Blizzard on the Summit ! Third time got to the starting bridge, torrential rain, gave up, full day in the Ben Nevis Pub in Fort William ! Now i'm turned 71 and the knees have gone, i struggle with the stairs. Do it while your young, an unforgetable experience.

[annelee]

Alicja’s positivity helped power through a tough challenge. 💫 What an effort to film, Steve. 👏👏 Thanks for an unmissable episode. 🙌🏼

[Teufelshund]

This channel is awesome and Steve’s personality is infectious.
My 12 year old daughter watches the channel with me.
Now every thing for her is “wee” this and “wee” that. It’s hilarious.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery Steve.

[keyzswat]

Alicja was definitely a driving force on that one. She always has positive vibes but that was really needed

[MyOutdoorsUK]

Really good to hear you highlight that you should always be prepared to turn around and not give in to "summit fever". It's also great to see a realistic portrayal of what is essentially a long slog for most people. Mountaineering Scotland will be delighted at you reminding everyone to take a map and compass - and know how to use them! It's not the most scenic route, that's via the CMD Arete, but it's good to see you rewarded by views on the way down. The weather is only clear around one day in every six or seven so your video reflected the reality well. Well done for sticking with it.

[sebastianfowles]

A really good insight into what the climb is actually like. As you concluded, you probably didn't give yourself the best preparation, but you could tell by your commentary and demeanor how physically and emotionally draining the walk was for you. It felt very honest/authentic. Fair play and respect for seeing it through! But it looked stunning. Obviously, in the sunshine it's always going to look amazing from such a height... but I quite liked the claustrophobic feel of the darkness, rain and mist that you walked through. It seemed to reflect how you were feeling. As always, a great video!!

[J-ttou]

Great video Steve, and I love Alicijas positive attitude. " Its not to be enjoyed but it's the challenge". I hope she got her coffee at the end . Thanks for taking us along.😊

[DanielTruran]

Alicja’s attitude is amazing (!) anything is possible with the two of you together! Thank you for taking us up Ben Nevis

[janetmariaburke]

You 2 are brave. Enjoyed watching from my sofa.

[cdd]

I actually like the mystery and quiet of the fog. You did such a good job and thank you for being honest!

[cathydoyle]

Just started watching your videos! I like the way you don't pretend to be superman! But just a normal bloke who goes on adventures with family and friends! Thanks for all the effort especially when things go wrong or the weather is playing up!😊

[powmillon]

Another amazing video from Steve & Alicja . Great for you to share this brave experience with us all .

[helenshields]

Greatly impressed by Alicja's positivity and your courage. The pain was real. Thanks guys.

[berniemcmahon]

Amazing effort & photography under the real world conditions trekking up BenNevis 😀👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[Gattancha]

We did Ben Nevis a few years ago in May, and when we got to the plateau we too got "Summit Fever" and had to turn back - it's the hardest decision to do but ultimately the best thing you can do if you have ANY doubts about continuing. The snow had started and it was deep underfoot still. We were all tired and Just couldn't face pushing it to the summit.

Having lived in Ft. William as well for many years, I regularly saw the Lochaber Mountain Rescue up there rescuing folks who were either ill prepared or had pushed themselves too far..

As with Steve, you can always turn around and come back another day rather than take the risk of slipping and potentially falling into a gulley.

Always respect the mountains and enjoy them - but don't take risks on them 🙂

[RobertRiquet]

Steven and Aliszia well done im a seasoned mountaineer and I've been to the top of the Ben many times, believe me four hours is a very respectable time.

[barbaraparent]

My goodness! I was exhausted just watching you both! But loved it and especially loved the view above the clouds with the sun and of the water going down the mountain!! Thank you ❣️

[gabrieleortiz]

Excellent effort on very little sleep and a driving journey to boot! 😨 You’re my heroes! Thank you for sharing what must’ve been a real physical and mental test. ❤ Get some well-deserved rest.

[Kari-bbrm]

I love the humor and the optimistic attitudes!
Very interesting terrain and I love your accents!
"I feel like an old dog, like when you just stop..."
"I've got biscuits, I've got biscuits!!"