Robin Kevan: A Hero Of Our Times

From today's Guardian and its Great Outdoors: National Parks supplement: What I do is clean up mountains. I'm three hours away from Snowdonia, but I go up there as often as I can. I can clean up the whole of Snowdon in two days. The reason I'm doing it is because litter in high places like that is absurd and shouldn't be there. Snowdonia is stunning, so impressive. I know I'm very small there, but I have a big influence. The Pyg Track, the Miner's Path, the Llanberis Path, those are what I clean. I love Llanberis, a little village at the bottom of Snowdon that has a lot of slate mines. One of my favourite places is Cadair Idris. It's really glacial. Glaslyn is a little lake that is just lovely. I saw a helicopter coming out of there once - it was actually in the mountain, as it were, which was incredible. We like to feel that we're the first one that's ever been there, and when you see litter it blows that illusion. Being in Snowdonia makes me feel that that's what I've been put on this earth for. There are times in life when you suddenly feel real, and it makes me feel real being up there with the wind and rain on my face, a feeling of oneness. I feel alive. Most of the time we are alive, but don't feel it. Written by Robin Kevan, a voluntary litter-picker. What a fantastic bloke. Mmm... "Most of the time we are alive, but don't feel it..."