Mountain rescuers are warning hillwalkers “there are no easy Munros” after callouts to one Perthshire hotspot rocketed.
The Tayside Mountain Rescue Team says it has already seen a 500% increase in incidents on Ben Chonzie this year, compared to 2023
The mountain is just a few miles from the village of Comrie, near Crieff.
At a little over 3,000ft, it is one of the smaller Munros, with a car park at the foot, making it relatively accessible.
The most recent callout was this week to three hillwalkers who had become lost in the mist on their way back down.
Tayside Mountain Rescue Team leader Paul Russell says Ben Chonzie is often recommended to people looking for an “easy Munro”.
But he and his fellow volunteers say novices need to know there’s no such thing.
“Ben Chonzie has become a real hotspot in the last couple of years,” said Mr Russell.
“But especially this year we’re finding people are getting lost. They’re maybe missing the track and just carrying on, or just missing the track altogether and not being able to find their way down.
“We’re out there pretty much every weekend at the moment,” he added.
Ben Chonzie presents its own challenges
Mr Russell said the last thing he wanted to do was to put people off going to the hills.
“Ben Chonzie is a great wee Munro,” he said.
But he said walkers could do more to protect themselves by learning how to navigate out of harm’s way.
They should also have a backup plan in case the kit they are relying on lets them down.
That’s particularly the case on Ben Chonzie, where mobile phone signal can be patchy.
And as this week has shown, they should remember that the Scottish weather can change in an instant.
‘Easy Munro’ advice misguided
The Tayside Mountain Rescue Team works in partnership with the Police Scotland Tayside team.
It also cites Ben Chonzie as one of the leading locations for repeat callouts.
Other so-called “tourist hills” include the Ben Lawers range near Loch Tay, Mayar and Driesh at Glen Doll/Glen Prosen and Mount Keen at Glen Esk.
Tayside Police team leader Paul Morgan agrees there is often a common theme.
Writing on Facebook, he said: “Very often, when the incident has involved the likes of Ben Chonzie or Mount Keen for example, people tell me that they read online before heading out that it was supposed to be an ‘easy Munro.
“Or someone had recommended it to them, saying ‘You’ll not get lost up there’.
“Unfortunately, this well-intended information can lead to some having a false sense of security, letting their guard down and suddenly finding themselves in a fankle when the mist comes in and the navigation skills are not there”.
Tayside Mountain Rescue volunteers responded to 96 callouts in 2023 – the most in the team’s 47-year history.
Leaders say far more people are taking to the hills since the Covid pandemic.
And 2024 is on course to be busier still.
The Police Scotland Tayside Mountain Rescue Team was called out 116 times in 2023. Its workload has more than doubled since 2019.
Conversation