[Closed] Trail side vandals

I rather like the idea that some people are reliant upon cairns for navigation, although we have strayed from the OP's point I think. Those who need cairns will hopefully leave the empty places alone because they can't find them. A selfish attitude by myself? - yes.

I think the OP was moaning that the little stone piles at GC had gone. He liked them as dare I say it, sculpture?

Err...The places where the cairns are were not really

forcibly depopulated

Nobody who worked on the land had any reason to go to the top of most Munroes for the simple reason that there is no grazing, so not sure about them being traditional.They are also a recent issue,nobody was building them in the 80's.Mind you,in the 80's there were 800 compleaters, now there are what 6,000? Maybe a symptom of the increased use,people want to leave a memory on the hill.Still to see one on the Liathach traverse,mind.

If this is just about cairns at the top of Munros, then I'd agree with you.

epicyclo - rather than me continue with my side of the debate, I refer you to an already decided debate between knowledgeable parties where there was split opinion and an interesting swing pre and post debate - http://www.mcofs.org.uk/mag_sm24_page2.asp

It's about numerous cairns leading to the top of various summits. As Duckman points out, our ancestors were too damn smart to get involved in walking to the top of every pimple on the horizon and the best paths and most commonly used routes would be [i]through[/i] the hills, not over them. The most popular hills now have paths that didn't exist 40 years ago (or even 20), so the idea that they were some form of ancient highway is just wrong.

I don't see what is elitist about buying and using a map and compass and gaining the skills to use them. I learnt this as a 10-year old. It's more elitist to suggest that the hills should only be used by the current inhabitants of the area and not the "leisure classes". Tourists spend money too you know.

druidh - Member
...The most popular hills now have paths that didn't exist 40 years ago (or even 20), so the idea that they were some form of ancient highway is just wrong.

I don't see what is elitist about buying and using a map and compass and gaining the skills to use them. I learnt this as a 10-year old.

Paths changed as destinations changed - an organic process.

The elitist reference was to people using map & compass calling those who used cairns for navigation "idiots".

I do tend to bite when parts of the country from which my family were forcibly cleared is called wilderness though - it's depopulated, not wilderness, and removing the human traces is just finishing the job. I also don't see any advantage to a community from going from a self-sufficient crofting community to providing low paid servants for the tourism industry.

Paths changed as destinations changed - an organic process

You seem to be deliberately missing the point. What I and many people object to is the creating of small (and sometimes large) cairns along established paths. Those that exist for navigation purposes and are refered to on maps should be used as reference points in bad weather.
The creation of another 10 of them on the way up a small hill from the car park is unwelcome for the reasons I have already explained.

1: confusion for those trying to navigate in bad weather
2: erosion of footpaths as they are usually built from the stones that have been painstakingly placed there to reduce the damage of many feet on a well walked path.

epicyclo - I do tend to bite when parts of the country from which my family were forcibly cleared is called wilderness though - it's depopulated, not wilderness, and removing the human traces is just finishing the job. I also don't see any advantage to a community from going from a self-sufficient crofting community to providing low paid servants for the tourism industry.

If the feudal system was still happening and your family were tending to your cows, I suspect you'd be complaining about being very low paid LITERAL servants for the cattle industry (without a choice in the matter). The past is not chocolate box perfect.

Also, I haven't a clue what all this has to to with the modern proliferation of cairns up hills, built by the 'tourist classes' you seem to so despise? Clearing piles of rocks built over 20 years by tourists is not 'finishing the job' the highland clearances started!

Please get off the soap box, and have a word with yourself - thanks.

I've got a funny feeling that we are talking about different things.

I have never seen cairns built as closely together as you claim - I don't see any point in going to the heavily trafficked tourist routes when there is so much else available. What happens on the tourist routes is all disneyland anyway, so I suppose remove the cairns and pretend it's wilderness and untouched by human hand. Perhaps a few plastic bagpipers would be better waymarkers 🙂

In the meantime, leave the other cairns alone. They belong.