Why I want to do Tranter's Round clockwise

Tranter's Round starts from the Ben Nevis Youth Hostel and, traditionally, is done anticlockwise, beginning with the Mamores. This means that Ben Nevis, as the highest point in Scotland, is the final summit. Although this has a fine logic to it, the end of the round is then the 1325m rocky horror descent of the Ben. Reversing the direction means that the round starts with a 1325m ascent, but this is less fatiguing on fresh legs than the descent is on tired legs. It also means that more than 20% of the total climb is done in attaining the first summit. Doing the round clockwise also means that the big mountains (and the rockier ones) are in the first half, with each summit requiring an average of 400m climb against less than 300m for the second half. Hopefully the grassier Mamores with shorter climbs will be easier both physically and mentally. The only problem with a clockwise round is that coming off Mullach nan Coirean in the dark is much harder technically than coming down the Ben with a good head torch.