maximus otter
Recovering policeman
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On a Christmas climbing trip in 1973, two young climbers experienced a frightening series of events in a remote mountain bothy.
Phil MacNeill was 18 and a member of Glasgow's Langside Climbing Club when he and his friend Jimmy Dunn set out from the city for the Lochaber hills.
Phil MacNeill was 18 when he visited Luibeilt Lodge in 1973
They took the train to Balloch and then hitched a lift north to Kinlochleven, near Fort William, from where they set out on foot about 10 miles (16km) to Luibeilt Lodge.
The property is a ruin today
A former deer stalking lodge, now in ruins, the building had been adapted for use as a bothy - an overnight shelter for hillwalkers and climbers tackling the area's mountains, which include Britain's tallest - Ben Nevis.
The men, whose story has been recounted by Phil for BBC Radio 4's Uncanny show, were told there were people living off-grid at Luibeilt, but it remained open and welcoming to visitors.
Phil and Jimmy hoped to use it as a base for their climbing trip.
When they arrived the door was locked. Looking through windows the men could see dishes in the sink but no-one inside.
The pair headed off to do some climbing in the snow and ice before returning at about 21:00.
"It was pitch dark," says Phil. "We shone our torches through the windows and nothing seemed to have changed."
The men were able to get inside through an unsecured window.
There was a table set for Christmas dinner, with crackers still to be pulled open.
First they heard footsteps, then noises of the bed being put together followed by what sounded like the rock from the window sill being rolled across the floor.
Phil next recalls being awoken at 04:00 when the living room "erupted" with the sounds of objects - including the men's ice axes - being thrown "all over the place" in the darkness...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-59698147
maximus otter
Phil MacNeill was 18 and a member of Glasgow's Langside Climbing Club when he and his friend Jimmy Dunn set out from the city for the Lochaber hills.
Phil MacNeill was 18 when he visited Luibeilt Lodge in 1973
They took the train to Balloch and then hitched a lift north to Kinlochleven, near Fort William, from where they set out on foot about 10 miles (16km) to Luibeilt Lodge.
The property is a ruin today
A former deer stalking lodge, now in ruins, the building had been adapted for use as a bothy - an overnight shelter for hillwalkers and climbers tackling the area's mountains, which include Britain's tallest - Ben Nevis.
The men, whose story has been recounted by Phil for BBC Radio 4's Uncanny show, were told there were people living off-grid at Luibeilt, but it remained open and welcoming to visitors.
Phil and Jimmy hoped to use it as a base for their climbing trip.
When they arrived the door was locked. Looking through windows the men could see dishes in the sink but no-one inside.
The pair headed off to do some climbing in the snow and ice before returning at about 21:00.
"It was pitch dark," says Phil. "We shone our torches through the windows and nothing seemed to have changed."
The men were able to get inside through an unsecured window.
There was a table set for Christmas dinner, with crackers still to be pulled open.
First they heard footsteps, then noises of the bed being put together followed by what sounded like the rock from the window sill being rolled across the floor.
Phil next recalls being awoken at 04:00 when the living room "erupted" with the sounds of objects - including the men's ice axes - being thrown "all over the place" in the darkness...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-59698147
maximus otter
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