UK UK - Neil Skinner, 72, last seen midday, camping close Loch Dochard, Scottish Highlands, 8 May 2022

[stu112]

A grey sky covers Loch Dochard as Phil Jones prods around the water's edge with a builder's pole.

"I'm just hoping to see a green jacket wash up," he says.

The 35-year-old builder from Chorley, Lancashire, is searching for Neil Skinner, a hiker who went missing near Bridge of Orchy last year.

Phil never met Neil but is the leader of a voluntary underwater search and recovery team, Beneath the Surface. His team spend most of their weekends helping families look for missing loved ones.

Neil, 72, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, was last seen in his green jacket on 8 May 2022. He was camping on a peninsula that reaches out on to the loch in Argyll and Bute.

He remains missing despite extensive searches. Police have urged anyone with information to get in touch.

[...]

The strangers searching for missing hiker Neil Skinner

A year after Neil Skinner vanished, a volunteer search party returned to where he was last seen.

www.bbc.co.uk

i know he said he was unwell to his friends but i cant imagine illness other than something life threatening that would cause him to collapse at water and why would he even venture there? did he not have water in his kit? as another poster stated, would be good to know what was missing if anything and what he had in the tent.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

i know he said he was unwell to his friends but i cant imagine illness other than something life threatening that would cause him to collapse at water and why would he even venture there? did he not have water in his kit? as another poster stated, would be good to know what was missing if anything and what he had in the tent.

There's always more than is not known/revealed.

 

[stu112]

There's always more than is not known/revealed.

my issue is that i know the police procedure for these things - it is not extensive and it doesn't allow for supposition unless a detective has suspicion of something untoward. The search is minimal by police if no suspicion - though in this case the public have done brilliantly in offering support - so its likely the local area to the camp site is key as well as kit that was left and any missing items.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

We have a new video on our YouTube of our search for missing Neil Skinner in a hope to raise awareness and in tribute to him, with permission from Neil's family.

The video accompanies lyrics written by Neil's sister in law Sue Skinner about the search for Neil, with melody and narration by Paul O'Brien

Neil vanished on a camping and hiking holiday in May 2022 near Loch Dochard in Bridge of Orchy

Beneath The Surface

We have a new video on our YouTube of our search for missing Neil Skinner in a hope to raise awareness and in tribute to him, with permission from Neil's family. The video accompanies lyrics written...

www.facebook.com

 

[stu112]

still no word on Neil, such a shame for his family. do we have a gps location for where the campsite was? I still feel that he may have wandered into a nearby forest

 

[Smccat]

I had missed this one first time around and just had a quick look over it and found this article which was quite moving re the family and hopeful that there are others who searched.

The strangers searching for missing hiker Neil Skinner

A year after Neil Skinner vanished, a volunteer search party returned to where he was last seen.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[StillDiggin]

On the Charles Kelly thread I put on that it was the Lake District Search & Mountain Rescue Association that helped find Charles with a new piece of automated drone software they had developed. The first time this software had been deployed on a live search. Let’s hope this technology can be used to search other missing people including Neil.

 

[elframo]

Neil is the subject of this week's The Missing Podcast.

Neil Skinner — The Missing Podcast

www.themissingpodcast.org

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Case featured on C5's 'Vanished' tonight, including interview with his daughter.

No access outside UK

 

[OrangeCash]

Case featured on C5's 'Vanished' tonight, including interview with his daughter.

No access outside UK

Didn't realise another series had started. Thank you

 

[stu112]

I was thinking about this case again the other day, something just doesn't sit right with it all. The 2 other hikers refusing to speak to anyone other than Police and not being involved in searches or giving more info to the family is so bizarre but even beyond that he can't have just vanished having just put up a tent and leaving everything in there.

I can't see that Neil got lost - if you were going anywhere, then something would be missing from the kit and the tent, you wouldn't have left it all and went off somewhere. If you had fitness issues that stopped you walking on your trip then you would surely have been using the walking poles at all times. If the weather got so bad that the other 2 abandoned the rest of the 5 day wild camp and went back, then it surely would have been atrocious enough for Neil to stay in the tent as well?.

If he went to the water - surely his water bottle would have been missing from the tent, the only reason he'd go near water is surely to get some to drink?. If it was for another reason such as to have a wash then he would have taken some soap or something with him and that would have been noticed as missing? Even if he went to the water and fell in, he'd have approached a shallow side for whatever reason he was going to the waterside, so wouldn't have been entangled or in a deep part.

At first i wondered if maybe he went into nearby woodland to use the toilet but all heavily forested area there appears to have deer fences around it so unlikely he'd have climbed them.

somethings just not right, even with an apparent history of getting lost, some kit would have been missing from the tent if he left that tent to walk somewhere.

 

[elframo]

Bumping for Neil...Now past the two year mark.

 

[ZeroAlpha]

Was back up at where the campsite was beside Loch Dochard. I find it difficult to see how he could have gone far from the beaten path. The deer fence would have prevented him from going south from his last known location. He has either come to grief at the lochside or walked out from there on the path. Or a third party is involved.

 

[ZeroAlpha]

I was thinking about this case again the other day, something just doesn't sit right with it all. The 2 other hikers refusing to speak to anyone other than Police and not being involved in searches or giving more info to the family is so bizarre but even beyond that he can't have just vanished having just put up a tent and leaving everything in there.

I can't see that Neil got lost - if you were going anywhere, then something would be missing from the kit and the tent, you wouldn't have left it all and went off somewhere. If you had fitness issues that stopped you walking on your trip then you would surely have been using the walking poles at all times. If the weather got so bad that the other 2 abandoned the rest of the 5 day wild camp and went back, then it surely would have been atrocious enough for Neil to stay in the tent as well?.

If he went to the water - surely his water bottle would have been missing from the tent, the only reason he'd go near water is surely to get some to drink?. If it was for another reason such as to have a wash then he would have taken some soap or something with him and that would have been noticed as missing? Even if he went to the water and fell in, he'd have approached a shallow side for whatever reason he was going to the waterside, so wouldn't have been entangled or in a deep part.

At first i wondered if maybe he went into nearby woodland to use the toilet but all heavily forested area there appears to have deer fences around it so unlikely he'd have climbed them.

somethings just not right, even with an apparent history of getting lost, some kit would have been missing from the tent if he left that tent to walk somewhere.

I agree, something is very off with this case.

"After setting off on Sunday, Neil decided the hike was going to be too much for him and turned back after 90 minutes. Neil insisted his friends continue on their journey and he would spend the time at the Loch with the plan to meet up again on the Thursday." Heartbroken daughter of Neil Skinner pleads with Highland hikers to find body

Did Neil confirm this information or do we only have his companion's word for that?

They left him to go back on his own and would leave him on his own from Sunday until the following Thursday?!

 

[seasideForest]

We have a new video on our YouTube of our search for missing Neil Skinner in a hope to raise awareness and in tribute to him, with permission from Neil's family.

The video accompanies lyrics written by Neil's sister in law Sue Skinner about the search for Neil, with melody and narration by Paul O'Brien

Neil vanished on a camping and hiking holiday in May 2022 near Loch Dochard in Bridge of Orchy

Beneath The Surface

We have a new video on our YouTube of our search for missing Neil Skinner in a hope to raise awareness and in tribute to him, with permission from Neil's family. The video accompanies lyrics written...

www.facebook.com

I think I saw a glimpse of a peaty stream (brown water!). Any chance he slipped into a peat bog? I did once in Scotland and was in up to my waist and sinking further in no time at all. I was hauled out by someone else.

 

[seasideForest]

The Bridge of Orchy area scares me now.
Brings back memories of dear Anthony Parsons

RSBM for focus
Could the McKellar brothers, one of whom hit Anthony Parsons with his vehicle, and the other who helped move Mr. Parsons' body have been involved in the disappearance of Neil Skinner? Or were they in custody by then? Or was Neil not camping particularly close to a road?

Their possible involvement would be a long shot, but leave no stone unturned, as they say. MOO

 

[ZeroAlpha]

RSBM for focus
Could the McKellar brothers, one of whom hit Anthony Parsons with his vehicle, and the other who helped move Mr. Parsons' body have been involved in the disappearance of Neil Skinner? Or were they in custody by then? Or was Neil not camping particularly close to a road?

Their possible involvement would be a long shot, but leave no stone unturned, as they say. MOO

He was far from a road and I believe they were already in custody at that time. They lived only 8 miles away as the crow flies.

There is a lot of boggy ground next to Loch Dochard but a bit of a walk to get over to the really boggy areas.

 

[ZeroAlpha]

If Neil had just wandered off and got into trouble close to his tent he would have been found by now. And I can't see him wandering off from his tent and going over very rough, boggy terrain. He would have effectively been forced to stick to the road and probably headed back towards Forest Lodge or East to catch up with his walking companions. But then why did he leave his tent and gear behind?

 

[stu112]

If Neil had just wandered off and got into trouble close to his tent he would have been found by now. And I can't see him wandering off from his tent and going over very rough, boggy terrain. He would have effectively been forced to stick to the road and probably headed back towards Forest Lodge or East to catch up with his walking companions. But then why did he leave his tent and gear behind?

Looking on google earth there seems to be a lot of forested areas that could easily become a maze to anyone entering them, are they all fenced off or are some open/have steps to get access to them?

 

[ZeroAlpha]

Looking on google earth there seems to be a lot of forested areas that could easily become a maze to anyone entering them, are they all fenced off or are some open/have steps to get access to them?

They are all fenced off to stop the deer from getting in but all have access stiles to get over the deer fences.