The government is putting safety and privacy measures in place for flying drones in the UK, but it’s doing nothing to protect the solitude of our wild spaces
Earlier this month, beneath a blazing sun and a clear blue sky, I smeared on the factor 30 and headed up Sgurr Alasdair with my pals. The tallest mountain on the Isle of Skye, weighing in at 3,255ft (992 metres), it was one of the most thrilling climbs we’ve ever done. The views – of the island, the sea and the mountains stretching across the mainland beyond – were stunning.
But there was one niggle. Just as we reached the halfway point, near the beautiful clear waters of the loch at Coire Lagan, I heard a noise like a dentist’s drill. It got louder and louder until I saw its cause: a drone. It whizzed round the boulders, sped over the loch, then hovered in close to film me, like the world’s most annoying midge, the high-pitched whine of its four rotors ripping right through the spell this place, ringed by mighty cliffs, casts on climbers. I looked around for a rock to chuck. But then it occurred to me that, despite being halfway up one of Britain’s finest peaks, I was effectively on CCTV.
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Source: Gaurdian