WALKERS taking on the West Highland Way have been warned not to drink water from rivers after a “spate” of hikers have fallen ill.
The National Trust for Scotland Ben Lomond Ranger Service issued the warning this week after nine walkers travelling through Rowardennan on the banks of Loch Lomond fell ill, suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea in the past month.
Rangers said all nine hikers drank water from the rivers near Balmaha, adding that although all nine of them filtered the water, they still fell ill.
Three of the hikers also told rangers they had drunk filtered water from The Burn of Mar, a river near Conic Hill.
One of the rangers, Mick, has warned walkers not to drink water from the river, adding that it is always best to boil drinking water rather than relying on filtration systems.
He said in a statement on social media: “We have had a spate of hikers coming through here at Rowardennan over the past month that have been pretty ill, vomit and diarrhea, only lasts a day or two but it wrecks more than their guts.”
The ranger added: “Please be sure not to drink this river water as there is a lot of livestock upstream.
“And it's always better to boil your water as this is a safer method than relying on filters as it all depends on which filter you have and how clean it is.”
Around 120,000 people use the West Highland Way each year, with around 36,000 visitors walking the whole trail.
Spanning from Milngavie to Fort William, the 96-mile-long trail was Scotland’s first designated long-distance route when it came into official operation in 1980.
