Heather Morning: 'Be careful where you choose to pee'

A mountain expert has warned women of the perils of maintaining their modesty when answering the call of nature.

Heather Morning, mountain safety adviser with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, said women should choose their toilet locations carefully after a report of a walker sliding down the hill with her knickers round her ankles.

Ms Morning issued the warning after more snow arrived on Scotland’s mountain-tops overnight.

Her comfort-break advice follows last month’s warning to female walkers that underwired bras can affect compasses and lead to errors in navigation.

She now says she has lowered her sights and gone for the full Monty.

Ms Morning said: “Ladies should be particularly careful regarding their choice of location to take a pee.”

She explained that in early summer, the Scottish mountains hold snow longer than more southerly uplands. The snow patches are often of hard névé and located high on the shady, northern side of mountains.

Many traditional mountain routes cross through such terrain and are the usual choice for munrobaggers.

She said hillwalkers are advised to treat these old snow patches with caution, particularly if the run-out below is over steep ground. Route choice is really important and hillwalkers should consider a snow-free alternative or simply turn around, she added.

Ms Morning said: “Ladies should be particularly careful regarding their choice of location to take a pee.

“A friend of mine; in a bid to search out somewhere discreet out of the sight of the rest of the party, stepped onto an old patch of snow and headed off down the hill with her pants round her ankles.

“Fortunately, she only slid a few metres on to grass and the only thing that was hurt was her pride.”

Carey Davies, the British Mountaineering Council’s hillwalking officer, echoed Ms Morning’s advice. He said: “When spring arrives a lot of people feel the pull of the mountains and want to get outdoors again. But sometimes people get caught out at this time of year. While it may feel like spring has sprung at low levels, up on the mountain tops it can be a very different story.

“Mountains in Scotland often hold areas or patches of snow well into summer.

“The higher mountains like Ben Nevis are never snow free. And because they’re further north and often higher they can have a lot more snow on them than the uplands of England and Wales.

“If you’re going into the hills remember you may encounter the white stuff – anything from the odd patch to large areas. So be prepared.”