David Parrish, 35, has died while trying to set a Fastest Known Time on the Cape Wrath trail, a 376km route in the Scottish Highlands.
A former Royal Marine, Parrish’s body was found in the mountains near Kintail. No details have been released on the cause of his death.
An experienced ultra-runner who knew the route, Parrish won the Cape Wrath Trail race in 2023. He also walked the trail in 2021.
Ironically, he was doing the run to raise money in memory of a former friend, who also died running in the mountains.
The Cape Wrath Trail wanders through the Highlands from Fort William to Cape Wrath and is considered the hardest hike in the UK. A British hiking site, SectionHiker, lists the many challenges of the route:
- Being on the west coast, you’re more likely to encounter the wet weather that blows cross-country from west to east.
- There are no trees, so little cover, and you’ll often need to camp at night in high wind.
- Massive peat bogs, the Scottish equivalent of quicksand, require careful footwork to cross.
- Resupply points are scarce, so you’ll want to carry plenty of food and fuel.
- The ground is very wet, and your feet will be wet most of the time.
- You need to be constantly vigilant about where you are, so you don’t get lost.
