A visit to Aonach Mor, Nevis Range

Taking a gondola up the mountain of Aonach Mor, in the Nevis Range in Scotland, was an unusual experience for me. Ben Nevis is the tallest mountain in Scotland and all of Britain at 4409 feet (1344 meters) high and usually has snow on top of it into the summer. Aonach Mor is two mountains over, in the same range, and is 4006 feet (1221 meters) high.

I took some pictures from inside the gondola. The plexiglass windows were scratched so there are some blurs.

That's one of the other gondola cabins moving into the picture. Here you can see how steep the mountain is.

We were up over a beautiful stream but it was difficult to get a good picture of it.

Getting close to the Top Station

This area, near Fort William, is famous for skiing, mountain biking, and all sorts of outdoor sports. It also has Britain's only mountain gondola. This gondola took us 2150 feet up the side of the mountain. Two walking trails are at the top and we'd hoped to walk at least one of them to take in the amazing panoramic views. Well... it didn't quite work out that way. :) For one thing it was very cloudy and misty so the views were almost non-existant. For another, the side of this mountain must have been one of the absolute coldest places in Scotland. Even though it was September, it felt like January during a blizzard. It was misting an icy cold rain and the wind was blowing like crazy. Although we were bundled up pretty good, there was no way we could stand to hike in this low temperature without a lot more clothes, which we didn't bring. We walked around a bit, took pictures, ate lunch inside at the Snowgoose restaurant and shopped.

The start of one of the hiking trails.

Gondola Top Station

Based on the information in the guidebook, sometimes they experience a temperature inversion. In other words, it's warmer on the mountain than in the valley below. Not on the day we were there! :) Scotland's weather is incredibly variable. Snow is possible at higher altitudes in Scotland at any time of year. Sometimes they ski in June at the Nevis Range.

View of the valley below

Aonach Mor is Britain's 8th highest mountain. The Ben Nevis volcanic complex was formed around 425 million years ago. It is made of granite which was formed deep in the earth's cruse and pushed upwards as a molten mass before cooling. The rocks surrounding the volcanic complex are sandstone, mudstone and limestone from 600 million years ago. These were formed under the sea and pushed upwards as the continental plates were pushed together. This upheaval helped create the Great Glen fault which runs through the area below Aonach Mor from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east.

View up the mountain

To give you an idea of how cold it is here in the high mountains, Coire Leis, in the shadow of Ben Nevis, holds snow for at least ten months of the year. The guidebook says it's not unusual for them to have 80 - 100 mph winds at this altitude which is why trees don't grow above about 250 meters. In places with long-lasting snow, rare plants grow. The snow lies in a gully on the face of the mountain in the shape of a snowgoose, which is how the Snowgoose restaurant got its name.

Most of Aonach Mor is designated a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest' in the Ben Nevis and Glencoe National Scenic Area. This restricts certain activities that might cause lasting damage to the fragile habitat. This is why people are discouraged from hiking to the top of the mountain in summer.

Two gondola cabins

The gondola has 75 cabins that rotate in a continuous cycle during operating hours so there was no wait time for us. The trip up the mountain took twelve minutes.

Beautiful thistles were growing on the side of this icy mountain. I would recommend a visit to Nevis Range, but only on a sunny, clear warm day, unless you love extreme winter sports. LOL Thanks for taking this chilly tour with me. :)

Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com

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