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
Nevis Mountain Dew When people drink it, the rum seems to act as a truth serum. "Nevis Mountain Dew" is loosely based on the experience of a patient that the playwright encountered while working in a hospital. The play is dedicated to him. "Nevis Mountain Dew" was selected among ten New York City productions as one of "The Best Plays of 1978–1979." Both "Nevis Mountain Dew" and Brian Clark's "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" were selected as one of the ten best plays of the 1978–1979 season in New York City. Each play tackles the subject of euthanasia through the eyes of a