Nevis Range Mountain Gondola

Nevis Range’s gondola is the only one of its kind in Britain, running 2.3km up the north face of Aonach Mòr, the eighth-highest mountain in the UK, from a base station at 100m to a top station at 650m. The ride takes 12 to 15 minutes each way in six-person cabins, and on a clear day it gives a wide view over Fort William, Loch Linnhe and Ben Nevis itself, seen here from the opposite side of Glen Nevis to the usual view of it.

In summer, the same gondola serves mountain bikers heading for the Nevis Range trail network, which includes the UK’s only UCI World Cup downhill course: 2.82km of rock gardens, drops and tight corners dropping 555m from top to bottom, ridden by elite racers in around four minutes and by most visitors rather more cautiously. Less committing blue and red graded trails share the same uplift. Walkers can also use the gondola simply to reach the top station and the shorter paths around it, without any onward biking or serious hillwalking.

Aonach Mòr is the neighbour rather than the mountain itself: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mòr Dearg and Aonach Beag next door are John Muir Trust ground, 1,761 hectares of it inside the Ben Nevis and Glencoe National Scenic Area. The gondola operates year-round, weather permitting; high wind is the most common reason for closure, since the cable system is exposed on the upper mountain. Ticket prices vary by activity, with separate rates for sightseeing, single mountain bike uplifts and multi-day bike passes. It suits families and less mobile visitors as well as it suits mountain bikers, since the ride itself asks nothing of anyone beyond sitting in a cabin for a quarter of an hour. It does not suit anyone hoping to reach Ben Nevis this way, which it does not do, nor anyone whose day cannot absorb a wind closure. For a guaranteed Glen Nevis outing on foot, Steall Falls is under two hours there and back.