The workers on Ben Lomond

Hillwalkers on a popular Scottish munro have been praised for their honesty.

The National Trust for Scotland said walkers tackling Ben Lomond had shown heart-warming generosity after volunteer workers mistakenly left a donations tub on the mountain – only to find it was still there days later, but contained even more money.

Alasdair Eckersall, NTS ranger on the 974m (3,196ft) munro, the most southerly, said: “The hill, which is one of Scotland’s most popular with walkers, was the venue recently for a working holiday for young people aged from 16 to 18 years.

“These dedicated youngsters were carrying out footpath repair work on the hillside during their ‘holiday’, and had a small tub for donations on-site while they worked.

“The wet weather closed in and the team had to abandon work for the day, and in the rush forgot to stow away the donation box and the sign explaining how donations would be used.

“We all headed back up to the site a few days later and got a great surprise to find that not only was the tub still there, but it had about £40 in change sitting in it. For two whole days, with no-one to keep an eye on it, our honest walkers had added to the pot quite considerably.”

The conservation charity cares for about 400 miles (644km) of footpaths on Scotland’s mountains and carries out a programme of regular repair and maintenance under its Sole Trading programme.