We have a very leisurely breakfast then a long chat with Robert on the phone. Next it’s off to the launderette. Nevis Laundry is a little way out of town, but a service wash is only £15 and will be ready by tomorrow, so worth the walk.
We have a bit of shopping to do and, looking at the distances involved over the next three weeks and the shortening days, I buy a small, light head torch just in case. It’s half price if I buy a flapjack (!), so quite a bargain. Let’s hope we don’t need it too often.
We have lunch in the Rain café then buy waterproof matches, toiletries, a padded envelope to send some maps home and get out some cash. This leaves us plenty of time to visit the free West Highland Museum.
The museum is an eclectic mix of commando history, geology, taxidermy and highland curios. There is also a section about highland aluminium smelting, mentioning the plants both in Fort William (Aluminium Company of Canada or Alcan) and Kinlochleven (British Aluminium Company or BACo). The Fort William smelter is still operating today as part of the Rio Tinto Alcan group.
The highlight of the museum, however, is an old film detailing the exploits of Edinburgh car dealer Henry Alexander, who drove a model T Ford up Ben Nevis for publicity in 1911. At one point in the film, the car becomes stuck in a peat hag, so two sticks of dynamite are inserted into the peat and the obstacle is exploded away.
The ascent took five days to complete with workmen enlarging the path as required. Journalists then travelled up on ponies to document the descent. This descent only lasted two and a half hours (perhaps it was somewhat uncontrolled in places). The whole event is commemorated by a bronze statue outside the museum, about five metres from where Alexander started his mission. Although it was clearly an astounding feat, I cannot find any evidence as to whether or not the stunt increased car sales.
Finally, we go to the park to drink sugar-free Irn-Bru and eat the flapjack before a steep pull back up the hill to Burnbank B&B. We will have done over 10,000 steps, even on this rest day.
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