UKH

picked up rubbish from?

Just returned from Loch Enoch in the Galloway hills today: 1 mini prosecco bottle, 1 miniature spirits, 4 330ml cans and a sachet of Heinz ketchup (from Burger King), aka the 'Loch Enoch horde'.

About 7km along mostly very rough 'track' to get there. The usual conundrum: who carries stuff in to a beautiful, remote location for a (assuming) 'romantic' evening, presumably having selected this place for its unspoilt beauty and remoteness. And leaves their rubbish behind! Its not a place 'delinquents' go for a piss up: far too much trouble.

Skye, when walking the Skye Trail. On one day, picked up few wrappers, 6 plastic bottles and a glass bottle. Lens cap, lens hood and few other bits were found along the way as well. 

Kept me wondering whether it's actually good for mountaineering folk like us to keep the tourists contained in one space. Keeps other places unspoiled... 

All corners of the Cairngorms, from bothies, paths, mountain tops and spots about as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get. Some of it perhaps windblown from elsewhere (like all the deflated helium party balloons) and some left by newbie walkers and climbers, but far too much left by people who should have known better and had no excuse.

From lots of remote and beautiful locations. Sadly I am now far, far beyond ever being surprised when people who should know better leave rubbish in such places, often wedged under rocks. The rubbish is often small and weighs almost nothing, which is even more baffling. BUT IMO the percentage of people visiting who do that is small/ very small

I was scrambling in Eskdale, I was above Thor Thor's Buttress and Pen (Grade-3) and below Pen and stopped for drink and something to eat. As I was relaxing I worked my hand into a crevice in the rock and found a big glass pop bottle, from the 1950`s IIRC, I pushed it back and I guess its still there if you want it.
Seems like rubbish in the hills has been going on for quite some time

Right. Good story about the old glass pop bottle. And I will not be surprised if the Romans were chucking rubbish all over the place around Hadrian's Wall - probably worth a fortune if you find any

I found a used nappy at Strathcailleach Bothy - which, if you've never been, is about as remote as you can get - no roads no tracks - at least one river crossing, etc, etc.  

People are strange ( and a bit skanky )

They did to a certain extent, as I've had the pleasure of excavating some of it, but it really isn't worth a fortune (not even the metal work!).

I filled a (found) carrier bag to the top with waste on the summit of Goatfell last Saturday, including an empty champagne bottle.

Yesterday, a bottle of Prosecco wedged in a hole in a random boulder, on a random hillside, miles from the road in North Morar.

Did they used to drop ice screws off it in those days too?

44 gallon fuel drums from the Antarctic plateau. We live in the geological oil age. Our detritus is everywhere. 

I found a instant barbecue  there last year. Worst for me was while eating lunch in the Galloway hills I pulled a red plastic container out the rocks beside me. On opening I realised it had been the container someone ashes had previously been spread.

Human faeces and used toilet paper all over the beach at the head of Loch Avon. Unfortunately also on my tent and boots.

FFS. Who are these morons........?

Proving that littering is not a new phenomenon, I was in a quiet corner of Garbh Coire Daidh yesterday (which, in turn, is in a quiet corner of the Cairngorms) and picked up a lemonade bottle of a type last made in the 1960s or 1970s, just sitting out in the open leaning against a boulder. Still had some liquid in it, but it looked a bit past its sell-by date.

When in Mongolia last year, our driver made frequent stops to pick up litter. We would all pile out and tidy up a ~20m radius area. Usually empty beer and vodka bottles. 

I came across the sprawling remains of a large camp by Loch Hourn, about two miles from Barrisdale.  There was everything there including gas canisters, packets of food, tins, wipes, cutlery, everything.  I collected it all up in bin bags (which were also there) and took it all out back along the track to Kinlochourn.  I was very pleased with myself.  A pristine shoreline again.

A Starbucks paper cup from the top of Tryfan. Intact so must have been carried up there, scramble and all... Couldn't tell if it was coffee, or tea..

Probably a decaff skinny vanilla latte with cream on top...

I (used to) have a regular walk from Settle to Kirkby Malham.  I usually pack a carrier bag (before they were chargeable?!) and could always fill up one or two (just shows that it's like the tide: you clear the route once, and a couple of weeks later, you have to clear it again).  Over time, I have picked up:

As a sample of items I have encountered:

• discarded full nappies (a total of three over time)
• a series of (approximately 15) individual UHT milk cartons over a mile or so
• discarded used tampon (neatly but ineffectively wrapped)
• a candy g-string (see e.g. http://www.prezzybox.com/candy-g-string.aspx)
• discarded used condoms
• a pile of human excrement in a lay-by
• a strangely shaped pink rubber object (which probably wouldn't look out of place in Fifty Shades)

The good points

• a five pound note (went directly into Kirkby Malham church funds)
• the kind person in a black van who stopped one day to offer to take an already full carrier bag of rubbish
• an unopened six-pack of Twix (didn't last long!)

As a mountain biker my brief experiment with man-made trail centres ended when I tried one in north Wales and was disgusted at the numbers of identical PET drinks bottles that had been thrown down by the trail for the first couple of miles riding away from the cafe.  And I thought cyclists were right-on green environmentally aware types. 

You just stood there and let them...!

Brought a smile to my face, as I gag cleaning my boots.....

Tent plus pegs at High Crag this evening. In the bin in Ballachulish if anyone wants a freebie.

Some years ago I was stooging around the moors above Rochdale on the mountain bike when I came across a wrecked tent containing sleeping bag, camping mat and clothing. I was actually quite concerned because I thought somebody had had a bad experience and I might even find a festering dead body in the mess. Quite soon after that driving to Windermere we passed the detritus of a small festival in a field near Staveley and I realised that it's now considered normal to go to the supermarket, buy a festival set of tent, sleeping bag and mat, use it then abandon it. We even bought a festival tent for £25 to use as spare accommodation when camping near Addingham when the TOB passed through twice and it was complete garbage, the rain came in and it didn't look as if it would survive any wind. People say those festival tents get saved and sent to disaster areas but I don't believe it would be worth the cost and effort. 

Got a work email from a voluntary group who collect festival left-overs and sell them to other voluntary groups (scouts etc) in 'bundles' - pair wellies/mat/bag/tent.  And I do now attempts have ben made at getting tis gear to refugee camps but not sure how successful.  I will try and find that email and post a link on here for folk interested in left-overs.