17th August 1771
First recorded ascent of Ben Nevis
We can never know for sure when the first person climbed Ben Nevis. It is likely to be before records were kept. However, the first recorded ascent was by botanist and artist James Robertson, in 1771.
He was said to have summed up his experience in just three sentences: “I ascended Ben Nevis, which is reckoned the highest mountain in Britain. A third part of the hill from the summit towards the top is entirely naked, resembling a heap of stones thrown together confusedly. The summit far overtops the surrounding hills.”
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