3 hikers found dead near notorious ridge in Scottish Highlands

The bodies of three missing hikers were recovered from a mountain in the Scottish Highlands after they didn’t return from a notoriously difficult scramble on the narrowest ridge crest in Britain, police said Monday.

The trio set out Saturday in Glen Coe to hike the Aonach Eagach, a 6-mile knife-edge ridge that tops out at 3,600 feet and has precipitous drops. A search began after sunset when they didn’t return, Police Scotland said.

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

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The deaths did not appear to be suspicious but a report will be given to the office that investigates deaths and prosecutes crimes, police said.

The Scottish Highlands, as photographed in 2017. (AP Photo/Brian Melley)

While storm Antoni lashed parts of the U.K. on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain, the forecast in the Highlands was for light rain in the afternoon and temperatures as low as 41 degrees at 6 p.m.

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The British Mountaineering Council lists the trek as the “most legendary Grade 2 scramble in Scotland,” meaning it doesn’t require using a rope for safety but some people would be more comfortable having one.

“Whatever measure you use to assess the quality of a scramble — length, exposure, views, or overall adrenal gland-squeezing awesomeness — the castellated crest of rock that looms menacingly above Glen Coe is pretty hard to top,” the BMC’s website says.

“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.”