A lightning strike near the summit trig of Ben Nevis on Monday appears to have obliterated a stone pillar ten metres from the summit trig point. Footage and photos show that the summit of Britain's highest mountain (1,345m) attracted multiple strikes.
Mountain guide Rich Pyne went up to the summit the following day. He shared a video of the aftermath of the storm showing scattered blocks from the pillar on Facebook.
'I couldn't believe what I saw today,' he wrote on Facebook. 'This little structure was whole on Saturday, now its blown in half. Nature's power is immense!'
Rich initially believed that the destruction was an act of vandalism.
© Rich Pyne
© Rich Pyne
Rich regularly climbs Ben Nevis in his guiding work. 'With 562 summits, I notice small changes,' he told UKC.
The pillar displayed a metal plate with a topo and descriptions of the surrounding area.
The strike came as storms battered the Scottish Highlands earlier this week during a heatwave. The BBC reports that the UK and Ireland recorded 28,000 lightning flashes on Monday.
Learn how to stay safe if you get caught out in a mountain lightning storm:
Comments
The 'structure' appears to be a view finder. Or was!
Amazing!!! I watched the storm with my daughter from Banavie Hill and it was quite exciting. The amount of rain in the Allt a' Mhuilinn was also pretty spectacular - there were great torrents of white water where I've never seen water before.
The River Lochy was brown today and the sea lochs around Roshven were brilliant turquoise.
Shame about the destruction of the pillar but that is pretty cool. Next, nature takes revenge on summit cairns...
Dear lightning, please take aim at the cafe on Snowdon...
...and exactly where would people sh*t!