Ben Nevis suffering as thousands take on peaks challenge

BRITAIN'S highest mountain has become a victim of the thousands of people who tackle the challenge of scaling its summit, according to new claims.

Ben Nevis features in a new Endangered Destinations List drawn up by adventure travel magazine Wanderlust due to the impact of the Three Peaks Challenge.

The "critical" list highlights worldwide destinations in need of greater care and also includes London's Borough Market, Beijing's historic Hutongs, the Swahili island of Lamu in Kenya, the oruh River in Turkey, the island of Madagascar, Riga in Latvia and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Three Peaks Challenge is listed over concerns that its popularity is impacting the hills and surrounding villages. The challenge, which requires walkers to scale Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike - the three highest peaks in Scotland, Wales and England - within 24 hours, often for charity, attracts around 30,000 walkers and climbers during the year.

Wanderlust says the challenge has become hugely popular: "But in their rush to reach the summits of Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis, some participants leave litter, drive dangerously, disturb local residents' sleep and contribute little to local communities," the writer added.

"Hills and verges have become scarred by hikers, streams are polluted and repairs to the pathways are costing the authorities thousands."

It suggests limits should be imposed of 1,000 hikers at a time ascending the summits and getting rid of the time limit of many challenges.

Lyn Hughes, editor-in-chief at Wanderlust, added: "Tourism can be a double-edged sword for destinations. At the same time as supporting local communities, if things aren't managed properly the negatives can soon outweigh the positives, creating major environmental and cultural issues."

The Institute of Fundraising's Outdoor Events' code of practice already includes some specific guidelines on the Three Peaks Challenge. However it applies only to events organised by charities directly and not to those organised privately.

It limits the number of walkers to no more than 200 per event, avoids peak holiday times, discourages racing between teams on and between mountains and provides information to participants on the environmental and land management sensitivities of the areas.

Nick Johnston, events manager of Three Peaks Challenge Limited, said it is not a case of restricting the number of participants, but rather educating them.

"We estimate there's around 30,000 people doing the Three Peaks Challenge this year," he said. "That compares to a quarter of a million people that are going to climb Snowdon just recreationally. One thing we're doing this year is challenge registration. It provides a way for people to record their challenge and get recognition but it also gives us a way of giving them advice beforehand."

The John Muir Trust, owner of the Ben Nevis Estate, which includes the mountain summit, said more than 100,000 people climb the 1,344-metre peak each year.

A trust spokesman said: "There's no doubt that this large footfall has an impact on the mountain, of which visitors to the Ben, including those taking part in fundraising challenges, may be unaware.

"The high number of visitors contributes to erosion of the footpath, large quantities of litter being dropped and numerous deposits of human excrement and tissue on the hill."

The last quarterly litter collection filled 18 bin bags of rubbish, ten which were filled with banana skins.