Alternatives to Ben Nevis (With Fewer Crowds)

Ben Nevis always feels like something of a "must bag" for hill baggers (being the highest and all). And that makes it pretty busy. So if you're less bothered about elevation and more bothered about a peaceful mountain hike, you might want to check out some super alternatives to Ben Nevis where you're far less likely to encounter a crowd. Let's check them out!

Contents

I’ve hiked Ben Nevis twice. The first time I went via CMD Arête and the second time I took my then 7 year old son up the main mountain path. You can read about those hikes in more detail below.

cmd arete for beginners
Hiking Blog

Is the CMD Arête to Ben Nevis Difficult?

The UK’s highest mountain by its most spectacular hiking route. That’s what the CMD arête to Ben Nevis promises. But how is it in reality? And how does it fare for beginners? I hiked to Ben Nevis via Carn Mor Dearg and the CMD arête. Here’s how I found what was my first notable ridge hike.

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Make no mistake. Ben Nevis really is a beautiful mountain and if you’re bagging munros and plan to finish them all, you have to go!

CMD Arête for my first trip up the Ben was horrific in weather terms, but what a wonderful ridge (and two Munros bagged). We barely saw another human all day long, in part because of the route we took and in part because most other people probably saw a late change to the forecast and thought better of it. Rookie error on my part.

When I took my 7 year old up, we wanted the simplest, easiest to navigate route and the mountain path was it. But it was busy on a midweek August day (to be expected). And a queue at a summit isn’t really my bag.

I get it. Some people (my 7 year old included) simply feel the pull to climb the highest thing around! And with a start from little above sea level right up to the 1,345m summit, it feels like an authentic “sea to summit” hike in elevation terms.

But if you’re not bagging munros and you’re not overly bothered about being the highest person in the UK for a short time, then there are plenty of alternatives to Ben Nevis that are well worth a mountain hiking day and with which you’re much likelier to get a quiet and peaceful one!

Alternatives to Ben Nevis – Some Notes About my Picks

Sadly for me, I’m only 30-odd munros deep at the moment so by no means am I qualified to talk about all the mountains in Scotland. So my picks are based on:

  • Mountains I have hiked myself
  • Mountains on which I encountered few if any other people
  • Some where straightforward navigation is a pull (as it is for many people with Ben Nevis)
  • Some where there’s a beautiful ridge walk or scramble (much like CMD Arete)

So here’s my summary of suggestions and the reasons for them.

RouteDistanceElevationWhy is this a Good Alternative to Ben Nevis?
Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm19km1221mBen Macdui, at 1,309m, is the UK’s second highest mountain and is only 36m shy of Ben Nevis. This route gets you two summits and the views are spectacular
Sgòr Gaoith17km1069mNavigation is really straightforward. It’s quiet and the views are HUGE!
Conival (and optionally, Ben More Assynt)21.5km974mGorgeous valley walk in, BIG views, wide ridge type walk between the two summits
Ben Vorlich and Stuc A’Chroin15.5km1321mEasy navigation up to the first summit with the option of a second requiring a scramble for those who were tempted by CMD Arete
Aonach Eagach16.9km1234mDefinitely not beginner friendly and more exposed scramble than hike! But for those who fancy Ben Nevis for the the CMD Arete ridge scramble and views, Aonach Eagach is all that and more
Ben Lawers (Plus Beinn Glas and optionally, Meall Corranaich)15km1170mSuch straightforward navigation – as simple as Ben Nevis if not simpler. BIG views! 3 in 1 munro day

These are alternatives to Ben Nevis for different reasons. For some like Ben Macdui, the appeal is there for those who want to hike particularly high mountains by UK standards. For others, like Aonach Eagach, the appeal is for those who were looking for the thrills of a ridge with a view like CMD Arête (though the former is much more exposed and narrow than the CMD Arête).

Here’s some information about each of these Ben Nevis Alternatives.

Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm

This hike appeals to those looking for a quieter alternative to Ben Nevis but that still has a high summit. Ben Macdui is the UK’s second highest mountain and stands close to Ben Nevis in elevation terms.

Another appealing thing about this hike is that, in good weather, it’s relatively straightforward to follow.

Ben Macdui was my first munro (and bagging the second the same day in the form of Cairn Gorm was a bonus).

Ben Macdui Summit

Sgòr Gaoith

Another milestone hike for me, this one, as my first solo munro.

The appeal here is the easy to follow navigation. Some things it has in common with Ben Nevis are the scenic, lush green start and the rockier end. I maintain that the summit views from this one, particularly looking across to Braeriach, are some of the finest of any mountain summit I’ve been on.

sgor gaoith summit and views

Conival

For this hike, I set out looking to bag Conival and Ben More Assynt but ended up turning back after Conival owing to weather conditions.

Nonetheless, this is a beautiful hike in one of the most spectacular parts of Scotland. 

The reason I think this one is an alternative to Ben Nevis is different to the previous ones. It’s not as “straightforward,” and is more “scrambly.” But the views from the Conival summit out across the ridge to Ben More Assynt reminded me somewhat of the views I’ve seen (but didn’t get because of the weather when I did CMD Arête) across the CMD Arête to Ben Nevis. So for the light scramble and big view seekers, this could be a good one.

views from conival summit

Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin

There are 2 reasons this one makes a good alternative to Ben Nevis, in my opinion:

  1. Really simple navigation up to the first summit
  2. The option of a bit of a scramble up to the second if you’re keen (a little like CMD Arête offers)

I did this one midweek and it was quiet but parking is limited. 

 

Aonach Eagach

So this is something of a wildcard because it definitely isn’t one for beginners and is incredibly exposed grade 2 scrambling. But the same things appealed to me about Aonach Eagach as did about CMD Arête to Ben Nevis – 2 munros (plus two additional summits) and that incredible scramble with wonderful views.

I did this one midweek in the height of summer (mid August) and encountered only a handful of people all day.

aonach eagach ridge from drone

aonach eagach ridge from drone
Hiking Blog

Crossing Aonach Eagach Ridge – Wow!

I finally ticked off a big hiking wish list item and scrambled my way across the Aonach Eagach ridge. Reputedly mainland Britain’s longest, narrowest ridge, I knew to expect a tough scramble and lots of exposure. But how was it? Here’s how I found the difficulty, exposure and route on Aonach Eagach.

Get the route and review

Beinn Glas, Ben Lawers and Meall Corranaich

I think this route is a really excellent alternative mountain hike to Ben Nevis because the navigation is really simple (as simple as the Ben Nevis mountain path in good conditions). You also get to start from 400m elevation by parking in the Ben Lawers car park. And the appeal of bagging 3 really is significant.

I also really love the trig point and summit in general on Ben Lawers. So actually, for someone setting out to hike a well trodden route but without quite so many crowds, I think this one really is a great hike.

ben lawers summit marker

aonach eagach ridge from drone
Hiking Blog

Crossing Aonach Eagach Ridge – Wow!

I finally ticked off a big hiking wish list item and scrambled my way across the Aonach Eagach ridge. Reputedly mainland Britain’s longest, narrowest ridge, I knew to expect a tough scramble and lots of exposure. But how was it? Here’s how I found the difficulty, exposure and route on Aonach Eagach.

Get the route and review

Other Alternatives to Ben Nevis

I’ll no doubt add to this and change it as my munro tally increases and I find others I think fit well. In the meantime, if any of you have suggestions, let me know!

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