A win for Ben Nevis would help bring in cash to maintain paths on the mountain

Outdoor enthusiasts are being urged to vote for the UK’s highest mountain in an online poll being run by the National Lottery.

Each of the country’s four nations has a chance to vote for their favourite national treasure, with Ben Nevis in the running to win the top award in Scotland.

The John Muir Trust, which owns and manages the upper reaches of the mountain, is urging its members and supporters, along with the wider outdoor community and the people of the Highlands to vote for the Ben.

The 1,344m (4,409ft) mountain faces competition from the Isle of Gigha as well as buildings such as Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Hampden Stadium and the National Museum of Scotland.

John Hutchison, chairman of the John Muir Trust and an executive director of the Nevis Partnership, the local coalition which manages the mountain, said: “Scotland has many treasures, from magnificent buildings to inspiring landscapes, but Ben Nevis stands above them all, literally and metaphorically.

“It has been here longer than the human race and will still be here when we are long gone.

“It’s a popular film location; hundreds of books have extolled its spectacular magic; its North Face played a pivotal role in mountaineering history and the great romantic poet John Keats even composed a poem on its summit.

“This truly is Scotland’s national treasure and we’d urge everyone who has any affinity with the Highlands to back the Ben before the poll closes on Monday.”

Manager of the Nevis Partnership, Tristan Semple said: “This is a unique opportunity to celebrate Ben Nevis as Scotland’s most cherished, popular and iconic natural asset.

“Yet because it doesn’t lie within a national park, it can’t access the associated funding – a situation which surprises many of our visitors.

“Winning the title of Scotland’s National Treasure would greatly assist us in the challenge of raising the £1m needed to maintain public access to this very special and much loved place.”

The poll, which celebrates 20 years of funding by the lottery, can be found on the National Lottery website.