26 highland ben hope

■ Distance: 7½ miles/12km ■ Time: 4-5 hours ■ Grade: Challenging

■ Distance: 6 miles/9.7km ■ Time: 2½-3hours ■ Grade: Easy

Some mountains live up to their names better than others. BEN MORE is one that certainly does, but first we need some disambiguation: exactly which Ben More are we talking about?

I am lying hip-deep in a peat bog looking up at the grey, ominous sky and pondering my life choices. My backpack is so heavy with all my food, water and camping gear that I can’t actually get up. I am

■ Distance: 11 miles/17.5km ■  Time: 6 hours ■  Grade: Challenging

We’re going to climb Ben Nevis. Want to come?” said our son. We are not climbers, and we travel with our 10-year-old dog, Molly. But we said, “Yes, OK, see you there!” and promptly booked Glen Nevis c