3 hikers found dead after failing to return from one of the narrowest ridges in Britain

The bodies of three missing hikers have been recovered from a mountain in the Scottish Highlands after failing to return from a notoriously difficult climb up one of Britain’s narrowest ridges, police said on Monday.

The trio set out in Glen Coe on Saturday to hike the Aonach Eagach, a 6-mile knife edge that juts out at 3,600 feet and has steep inclines. A search began after sunset when they failed to return, Scotland police said.

A Coast Guard helicopter flying in mist and fog located the bodies and a search and rescue crew returned Sunday morning to recover them.

The deaths did not appear suspicious, but will be reported to the agency that investigates deaths and prosecutes crimes, police said.

Police did not name the dead.

While storm Antoni battered parts of the UK on Saturday with high winds and heavy rain, the forecast in the Highlands was light rain in the afternoon and temperatures reaching 41 degrees by 6pm.

The British Mountaineering Council calls the trek the “most legendary Grade 2 scramble in Scotland”, meaning it doesn’t require a rope for safety, but some people would find it more comfortable to have one.

“Whatever measure you use to judge the quality of a scramble — length, exposure, view, or overall adrenal-squeezing awesomeness — the tilted pinnacle of rock looming menacingly over Glen Coe is pretty hard to top,” says the BMC. -website.

“Nowhere else on the British mainland will you find a ridge of such narrow yet epic proportions; and when you add in the easy access and stunning location, it’s no surprise that this is one of the most bucket-listed mountains in the world for many days. in the country.”