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Scotland’s Highest Mountain is Being Treated like a Garbage Dump

This alarming post from a hiker at the top of Ben Nevis reveals the absolute worst way to behave

A shocking video from the peak of Scotland’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, has sparked outrage amongst hikers and climbers alike, as well as basically any decent person who happened to see it. You don’t have to be a seasoned hillwalker to know that it probably isn’t good etiquette to scatter the peak of a well-loved mountain with broken glass bottles, abandoned cookware, and an alarmingly dead-person-looking sleeping bag filled with trash.

It sucks to commit to a hike which can last up to 9 hours there-and-back, only for the peak of your day to be soured and totally overshadowed by the unkindness of strangers. Hazardous broken glass, an insulting use of a sleeping bag, and debris which can freeze over and endanger others (which is why videographer resolves to clean it up before the storm moves in). A natural marvel utterly ruined by the one thing any serious walker is trying to avoid: people at their worst.

Video: Dave Fowler

These mountains were formed over hundreds of thousands of years; walking through them gives real weight and tangibility to the vast power of the natural world and our tiny place amongst it. That’s why we hike and climb. We shirk the responsibility of sorting out the electric bill or emptying the dishwasher in favour of a more vital, personal responsibility. All you have is your gear and some food – all you have to do is look after those things. It’s disappointing to witness this level of disrespect, and we hope that the next group that chooses to have a couple beers up Ben Nevis (as unwise as that might be) can honour this very simple mantra: Leave natural landscapes exactly as you found them.