Been up there several times Ben, but love the way you give us background information. Never knew about the less acidic nature of the rocks over there; and after this will be using the one walking pole a bit less. Also recognize the turnaround effect of health-issues: gave a boost to my hiking & hillbagging too. Of course i subbed your channel!
Hiya. Thanks very much :) The walking pole thing is a tricky one if they are things you rely on. I'm trying not to use them in the higher sensitive areas these days. IN bogs, well that's a different matter ;-)
The point on walking poles is well made. The masses of walkers on our popular hills are carrying masses of walking poles even on the flat! To be honest I had not even considered the damage being done, so thanks for highlighting it. Most of us older walkers were tramping the hills for decades before pole fashion caught on and managed just fine. A pole is certainly useful on a steep slippery descent, river crossings etc, but perhaps they should be reserved for situations like that. I have highlighted this issue within my own group and the rubber pole foot has been ordered! Causing this additional erosion through ignorance is one thing, doing it knowingly is another thing altogether. If the ground is frozen the foot can be pulled off.
Hey Ben. Just curious as to what remains on the site of the original visitor centre/car park and whether you can still access via the western point. Cheers :)
+Magadan Russia Hiya - If you go there now, you'd never know there had been a visitor centre or car park on the site. It's gone and is now heather moorland. There's a car park on the other side of the road though, where you just donate £2 to the upkeep of the paths on Ben Lawers.
