An accountant claims he and his hiking pals are branded litterbugs and ordered to turn off music blasting from their speakers by other walkers - because they're black. Enoch Adeyemi is co-founder of Black Scottish Adventurers and ventures out to The Trossachs National Park with groups of up to 60 black walkers on a regular basis.
Although the group enjoy their outings, Enoch says that the Scottish outdoors is 'very white' and that they 'stick out' when they go exploring. The dad-of-two, who doesn't wish to reveal his age, claims that some white people 'assumed this is their space so they get really p*ssed off' when they spot black walkers.
Keen hiker Enoch says that every group hike is plagued by incidents where white ramblers make 'condescending' comments, asking them not to leave litter behind and to turn their music off. Furious at what he claims is bigotry, racism and ignorance, Enoch shared a social media post highlighting his experiences.
The Nigerian-born hiker also slammed park rangers, claiming they 'perpetuate the cycle of ignorance' by taking such complaints seriously and confronting them about it.
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority said they 'strive to make the National Park a place that is accessible and welcoming to all' and the fact that a group feel they have been treated differently by other visitors because of their race is something they take 'very seriously'.
Enoch, from Edinburgh, Scotland said: "My post on LinkedIn is about the negative side of going out in the mountains. When we go hiking we don't see other black people hiking. Hiking is seen as a white people thing - not that there's anything wrong with that.
"White people generally hike, black people generally don't, it is what it is. White folks are so used to going out and only seeing other white folks, so I think it was a shock to the system when we started going out hiking in groups.
"Imagine a white Scottish guy driving an hour to the mountain for a hike and seeing 50 black people. That'll be a shock. Maybe that shock translates into 'there's 50 black people here, they're probably going to be littering on the floor'.
"So some of these people will go and complain to the rangers. The next thing, rangers come up to us and say 'we've received complaints that your group is making noise and littering the floor'. We're not breaking any rules but because we're exploring the mountains our way, I think it's a shock to the system for most folks."
Enoch says his group enjoy playing music while on their treks, which he admits isn't the case for most hikers. Enoch said: "For most folks, hiking is about going up quietly and coming down quietly.
"For us, we're playing music all the way, to the point where you don't feel like you're going up the mountain. I think that this p*sses people off, because their idea of hiking is to do it quietly.
"Folks have confidently stopped and told us to turn our music off. I think 'why should I turn off my music?' Just because white Scottish people enjoy nature one way, that doesn't mean black people have to enjoy it exactly the same way.
"It's their condescending tone that they use to speak to us, telling us not to litter and only to leave our footprints. Recently I went out with a mostly white hiking group, we experienced none of it.
"There were 60 of us, but nobody came to us to tell us to only leave footprints or give any condescending comments. I thought 'that was interesting, we went on a hike with no drama'. We were in a big group and played music, but had none of the issues we usually get. We came across a lot of white folk along the way, but nobody said anything to us. No rangers approached us."
Environmentally-conscious Enoch, who always carries a plastic bag to collect their rubbish in, believes that the incidents are racially motivated with hikers assuming that black people will litter.
Enoch said: "I think it's down to the colour of our skin. It's not that we're a big group, it's that we're black. People see us and think 'they're going to be dropping litter'.
"I don't know why that is. There might be this mentality that a bunch of black people coming together means they are going to cause trouble. There are multiple incidents on every hike, whether it's getting aggro or grief, it's non-stop.
"It's expected of us to make a mess. It's like people are saying 'I know you black people make a mess, so don't'. If they saw a group of 60 white people, their brains wouldn't think that. They don't even know they're being prejudiced.
"We would just be out by the lake and have rangers show up saying 'we've had complaints about noise'. I don't think the rangers are used to seeing people like us come to enjoy the outdoors and that's part of the problem.
"We're in our own little bubble having fun and I don't think that sits well in some people's heads. We find that 99% of the time, the rangers will come back and apologise. I just think 'don't tell me sorry, when you got that complaint you should have shut it down'.
"The group is only going to grow, so I think the rangers need to be educated about how people enjoy the outdoors."
In addition, Enoch believes there may also be cultural differences at play - admitting that Africans tend to be more 'animated' and speak louder. Enoch said: "There's a cultural difference, even when I'm talking to my friends, I'll see folks turning their heads to look.
"We are speaking at a higher volume than the average British person. Folks from Africa are more animated and their voices are louder. We're advocates of being ourselves but some people don't like that. They'd rather you be quiet outdoors.
"I think hiking is seen as a boring activity as well as being physically demanding. I think black folks think hiking is for white people, 'why would I want to walk up a mountain for nothing?'
"I get that, but we are getting them to see the physical and mental benefits of being out in nature. Plus by going out in groups, you get to meet so many people."
Enoch shared his experiences on LinkedIn, to call out what the group has faced. Enoch said: "I spoke up about this because you hear a lot of people say that Scotland isn't racist. I'm there thinking 'I think you're high, mate'.
"I'm not saying Scotland's racist, but there are racist people in Scotland. I want to get that point across to people. I want people to understand what they can do to be anti-racist. When people complain or do things that are intolerant, others should speak up.
"If there's anything you can do when you hear racist comments, you should say 'it's discriminatory, it's racist'. These incidents haven't put me off hiking. It's made me realise that society has a long way to go."
Simon Jones, Director of Environment and Visitor Services at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: "We strive to make the National Park a place that is accessible and welcoming to all and the fact that a group who regularly visit the Park feel they have been treated differently by other visitors because of their race, is something that we take very seriously.
"We condemn racism in any form and I have reached out personally to Black Scottish Adventurers to find out more about their experience. Our Rangers engage with hundreds of visitors every week, of all ages and backgrounds, welcoming them and offering advice on how to enjoy their visit safely and responsibly.
"If they receive reports regarding issues such as litter, that same approach of engaging positively with visitors and offering them advice is adopted. It is the same approach for all individuals and groups, regardless of ethnicity or background.
"We know there are barriers to groups from minority backgrounds accessing the outdoors.
"As part of our work to address those barriers, Zain Sehgal, co-founder of Boots & Beards - a charity helping Glasgow’s Asian and other minority ethnic populations discover the outdoors – has joined our Board and is advising us on improving access for less represented groups."
