Ben Nevis: Raising money for the Once We Were Soldiers Charity

A good friend, Wez wanted to raise money for the Once We Were Soldiers charity back in 2019, so we decided a group of our close friends would hike Ben Nevis. Managing to raise £1,147.00 his employer BOC then generously matched that figure, meaning a total of £2,294.00 was raised. The charity was very close to Wez’s heart, in memory of his ex-army friend who had sadly taken his own life the previous year.

Ben Nevis is the highest peak in the UK. Situated in Scotland and at 1,345 metres above sea level it was safe to say we were looking forward to the challenge. I was keen to get this one under my belt, having recently booked a 10-day trip to the Canadian Rockies I felt this would be good training.

Enjoying the hospitality of Fort William

Eight of us made the trip to the Scottish Highlands on the Friday morning having booked a two-night stay at The Ben Nevis Hotel & Leisure Club. We arrived early so the hotel stored our bags and we grabbed a round of beers and headed into the beer garden to enjoy some sun. We hadn’t been seated longer than two minutes when one side of the bench seat snapped. Stu reacted quickly and managed to stand up but in doing so punched Wez in the nose. Lying on the floor holding his nose. It was apparent even this early on we were in for an entertaining weekend.

We ventured out into Fort William for a couple of hours, we visited several pubs and the hospitality really was fantastic. We got advice on sight-seeing opportunities, got speaking with some of the locals before heading back to the hotel for something to eat. The food was decent — although we all ordered the Steak and Ale Pie so couldn’t comment on any of the other dishes on offer. After our food and a fair few beers most of us headed to bed but a couple of the lads headed back out into Fort William for a few more beers.

Hiking the Mountain Track

Waking early for breakfast we were all ready to get going with the hike. We had already received many comments on social media and WhatsApp messages wishing us the best and people donating money to the cause. We were hiking the Mountain Track so parked up near the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre and made our way down the road towards the start of the hike. Crossing the footbridge we paused for a quick group photo and then carried on.

The track is clearly marked and well maintained , rising steeply following zig-zags to the saddle by Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe. The weather was terrific, and as usual the group splintered into different fitness levels. At around this point unfortunately Wez was really struggling so a couple of the lads stayed with him for another hour until he told them to go ahead and he would see us all at the top. The views were absolutely breath-taking and I felt like I wanted to stop every minute to take in a different view.

Wez and all of his mates

As we climbed higher we had to deal with the issue of snow. It had only been a couple of weeks since a couple had fallen off an ice shelf so we were all aware of the dangers. The introduction of snow I must admit made me skeptical on the chances of Wez making the summit. We all made the summit and were just waiting for Wez and the couple of people who had stayed behind with him. Nobody needed to be concerned however as a short while later he arrived at the summit himself.

Not only did he make the summit, but as he stood at the top proudly, he must have been approached by everyone on the mountain that day. It would be one thing to have people say “well done mate” but these were people going “yes Wez you did it mate”. These were complete strangers but he had somehow got on first name terms with them whilst hiking the UK’s highest mountain. As previously mentioned there was a vast difference in fitness levels. So when we had all grouped together at the summit we began our descent.

Three of the group decided they were going to run down. A couple of the lads were having aches and pains from previous injuries so were going to take it slowly. That left me in the middle on my own but I actually enjoyed it – I ran down in sections and stood enjoying the views in others. Reaching the foot of the mountain I joined the other lads in the Ben Nevis Pub. Slowly but surely the rest turned up. We had done it. More importantly we had raised money for a great charity in doing so.

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