As the “Bench Nevis” row rumbles on, Highland mountaineer Davie Scott explains why he took such drastic action at the summit of Britain’s highest mountain.
When I saw the guys carrying the bench up the Ben, I just thought, ‘what on earth are they doing?’.
They had assured me and other mountain users that the bench was to be brought back down that very day, and at that point they had my admiration.
I later learned that the bench had been dumped, after an attempt had been made to cement it in place.
This angered me for several reasons.
Ben Nevis is listed as a designated Special Area of Conservation and there are several charities, trusts and organisations who work tirelessly to remove rubbish and repair pathways.
These people had ignored their advice and undermined their sterling work by adding to their ‘to do’ list.
People have asked me why I didn’t just leave it for those responsible to bring the bench back down.
In my opinion, after seeing them struggle as they did to get it up there, it would undoubtedly put not only other mountain users and the general public at risk to bring it down in the same fashion, but those responsible themselves.
Other people suggested setting it on fire. I was not a fan of this idea as it could create additional hazards and make the summit area quite unpleasant for other mountain users, as well as making even more of a mess.
The way I chose to dispose of this rubbish is, in my mind the safest, cleanest, most considerate way to do so. I have received thanks from a multitude of groups of people, including local mountain guides and instructors, the John Muir Trust, people conducting path repairs and almost all of the climbing community.
There are a few people who are upset that I took the action I did, saying that I had vandalised or destroyed someone else’s property.
My answer to this is that if you dump a bench, improvised carrying equipment, as well as a big bag of rubbish, on a designated Special Area of Conservation and abandon it, it then ceases to be your property and must be removed to preserve the integrity of conservation.
I think people who are upset are perhaps unaware of just how much of an ongoing issue littering is on Ben Nevis.
The fact that these guys did this for charity is a very noble and admirable endeavour. I too participate in a number of charity events on Ben Nevis regularly, including clean-up operations organised by some of the businesses I mentioned earlier.
However, doing something in the name of charity doesn’t give us the right to bend or break the rules.
Let me make something absolutely clear. I have no ill will towards these people responsible.
They did something a bit daft with the best of intentions without really checking it out or thinking it through. We all make mistakes and hopefully this event has served to underline some of the fundamentals of our responsibilities in the outdoors and promote awareness.
Do I regret the action I took? No. I’d do it again tomorrow – but I might invest in a new saw.