Glen Coe ridge: Bodies of 3 missing hikers found on ‘bucket-listed’ Aonach Eagach, Scottish Highlands

The bodies of three hikers have been found dead on a mountain ridge in Scotland after they went missing on Saturday (August 5). The trio had set out to climb the notorious Aonach Eagach, which is a six mile route along a knife-edge ridge which tops out at 3,600 feet with precipitous drops.

However, a search was launched on Saturday evening when they did not return after sunset, Police Scotland said. According to AP, a Coastguard helicopter located the bodies and a search and rescue crew returned on Sunday morning (August 6) to recover them.

It does not appear that the deaths were suspicious, but a report will be given to the office that investigates deaths and prosecutes crimes, police said. The hikers have not yet been named.

The hikers had set out to climb Glen Coe which has been deemed as “most legendary Grade 2 scramble in Scotland” by The British Mountaineering Council. The BMC website describes the climb as “Nowhere else on the British mainland will you find a ridge of such narrow yet epic proportions; and when you add in the ease of access and the scenically stellar location, it comes as no surprise that this is one of the most bucket-listed mountain days in the country.”

Storm Antoni wrecked havoc across the UK on Saturday while the hikers endured their climb.  The forecast in the Highlands was for light rain in the afternoon and temperatures as low as 5C (41F) at 6 p.m.

There have been numerous deaths of walkers and hikers in the area including a 63-year-old woman in September 2014 and a 44-year-old man in July 2016. Last September the body of Alan Taylor, from Dundee, was found in a gully near the ridge. The 57-year-old had been missing since September 2021.