Ben Nevis the summit only to find "fragments of earthen and glass ware, chicken bones, corks, and bits of paper". It was not until 1847 that Ben Nevis was confirmed by the Ordnance Survey as the highest mountain in Britain and Ireland, ahead of its rival Ben Macdhui. The summit observatory was built in the summer of 1883, and would remain in operation for 21 years. The first path to the summit was built at the same time as the observatory and was designed to allow ponies to carry up supplies, with a maximum gradient of one in five. The opening of
Aonach Beag Aonach Beag Aonach Beag is a mountain in the Highlands of Scotland. It is located about 3 km east of Ben Nevis on the north side of Glen Nevis, near the town of Fort William. Apart from Ben Nevis, Aonach Beag is the highest peak in the British Isles outwith the Cairngorm mountains of eastern Scotland. In Gaelic, Aonach means 'fair' and Cairngorm means 'blue cairn'. The word 'cairn' means a collection of stones erected as a memorial or landmark. Aonach Beag is linked to its close neighbour to the north, Aonach Mòr, by a high saddle or bealach. The