UK Lester McLennan, 20, travelled to the Giants Causeway area, Northern Ireland, 1 Nov 24

[StillDiggin]

The mother of a man believed to have gone missing at the Giant’s Causeway last weekend has told of how there has been a possible sighting of him.

Lalitha McLennan said a tour guide has reported speaking to her son Lester in the Dunseverick Castle area.

She also told of her ongoing anguish following her son’s disappearance, describing how earlier this week, she had “lost all energy and got to a point where I was very distressed, but I feel like I’m back on it today”.

Lester, who is reported to have travelled to Northern Ireland from England with his mother, had taken a bus from Belfast to the Giant’s Causeway at 9.30am on Friday. The last confirmed trace from his phone was around 5.30pm at the popular tourist attraction.

Lester McLennan: Possible sighting of man missing after travelling to Giant’s Causeway

A tour guide has reported speaking to Lester in the Dunseverick Castle area

www.irishnews.com

Can you tell us where missing hiker's backpack was found?

Pinpointing the exact spot were a back-pack was found, could be the key to unlocking the case of a missing hiker. That's why police are desperate to speak to two males who handed the bag into Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre last Saturday. For almost a week, police and volunteers from the...

www.colerainechronicle.co.uk

It’s strange that the 2 people who handed in the backpack the next day haven’t come forward or there wasn’t much said about the conversation with the clerk at the office and the men about where precisely the backpack was found.

 

[GraceG]

I visited the causeway after work business took me to Dublin. Once you get to the visitors center, there's a bus that will take you to the actual Causeway to view the formation. The cliff trail referred to in the news article takes you back to the visitors center if you want to take it (most go back on the bus) It's fairly steep if your knees are over 40 but NOT difficult. At the top there's a sheer drop off but it's in full view of the road well back from the water and the steeper section of the trail has sturdy railings you couldn't just accidentally fall over. I've attached some photos of my hike (and the view from the top where I could wave at the bus driving back) and a view of the trail up (that's me in the black coat) You can see it's NOT someplace you can get "lost" on nor would you not be seen or found if you fell. I hope he is safe - I just don't see him having an accident here and remaining undiscovered.

 

[azure]

I visited the causeway after work business took me to Dublin. Once you get to the visitors center, there's a bus that will take you to the actual Causeway to view the formation. The cliff trail referred to in the news article takes you back to the visitors center if you want to take it (most go back on the bus) It's fairly steep if your knees are over 40 but NOT difficult. At the top there's a sheer drop off but it's in full view of the road well back from the water and the steeper section of the trail has sturdy railings you couldn't just accidentally fall over. I've attached some photos of my hike (and the view from the top where I could wave at the bus driving back) and a view of the trail up (that's me in the black coat) You can see it's NOT someplace you can get "lost" on nor would you not be seen or found if you fell. I hope he is safe - I just don't see him having an accident here and remaining undiscovered.

I do think this somewhat fails to take into account Irish weather. Many days you would not be able to see to the top of Giant's Causeway from the coast because of all the clouds and mist.

 

[GraceG]

I do think this somewhat fails to take into account Irish weather. Many days you would not be able to see to the top of Giant's Causeway from the coast because of all the clouds and mist.

True indeed - but I was thinking specific to the cliff path (where his backpack was found) and not the causeway itself. If he had a mishap on the path, and it was foggy, it might not be witnessed from those on the ground below or those on the path with him, but they searched the area pretty thoroughly from what I read after he was reported missing. This one is baffling.

 

[StillDiggin]

Mum of missing Brit begs for help to find two men who handed son's bag in

Lester McLennan was on holiday visiting a recently bereaved relative in Belfast, when at approximately 9.30am on Friday, November 1, he travelled by himself to the Giant's Causeway area by bus

www.dailystar.co.uk

I do not understand why they were not asked their names when they handed it in!!

 

[tarabull]

Search for tourists who handed in backpack of vanished hiker

Lester McLennan vanished on a hike on the Giant’s Causeway

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Twick]

I visited the causeway after work business took me to Dublin. Once you get to the visitors center, there's a bus that will take you to the actual Causeway to view the formation. The cliff trail referred to in the news article takes you back to the visitors center if you want to take it (most go back on the bus) It's fairly steep if your knees are over 40 but NOT difficult. At the top there's a sheer drop off but it's in full view of the road well back from the water and the steeper section of the trail has sturdy railings you couldn't just accidentally fall over. I've attached some photos of my hike (and the view from the top where I could wave at the bus driving back) and a view of the trail up (that's me in the black coat) You can see it's NOT someplace you can get "lost" on nor would you not be seen or found if you fell. I hope he is safe - I just don't see him having an accident here and remaining undiscovered.

Oh my. When you say steep, you mean STEEP!

 

[GraceG]

Oh my. When you say steep, you mean STEEP!

Yes, only 3 of us actually hiked back to the visitor center after seeing the steps going up and I was the oldest at 43. Most people just want to see the Causeway and when they're done they take the bus back. This is why his backpack being found on the cliff trail baffles me. No one was taking the hiking route to GET to the causeway, only a few took it to go back. And from the trail, if you fell off the only steep spots with no rail you would easily be found by searchers as you can't fall into the water. You can't get lost - it's sheer high cliffs behind you. When you get to the top, there's a section of trail that's flat, but it's pretty much farmer's pasture, not a place you could have an accident or get lost. Harassed by sheep, maybe, but nothing dangerous.

 

[StillDiggin]

Missing young man's body 'cannot be recovered' as inquest called

Lester McLennan was last seen on November 1 in the Causeway Coast area

www.belfastlive.co.uk

 

[starlightstarbright]

This declaring he is dead just seems, I don’t know, quite premature to me. Yes, they found his bag, as I understand it, on the footpath quite a ways back from the sea itself. Unless there is video evidence of him entering the water, I’m not sure I’m convinced, though I imagine his family really need some closure. It just feels very soon for me without other evidence of his death.

 

[GraceG]

This declaring he is dead just seems, I don’t know, quite premature to me. Yes, they found his bag, as I understand it, on the footpath quite a ways back from the sea itself. Unless there is video evidence of him entering the water, I’m not sure I’m convinced, though I imagine his family really need some closure. It just feels very soon for me without other evidence of his death.

I see that making sense from some standpoint, given the proximity to open water. if you climb out onto the rocks you could fell into the water, but the walkway is no where NEAR that, so why would his bag had been left there? Makes me wonder if
(1) he left the bag intentionally so it would be found (either intentionally missing, or self harm)
(2) the media report of where the bag was actually located was incorrect (media does get such details wrong sometimes).

Some photos from my last trip there, in a February. 019 was taking where I started the trail up the hiking way, you can see it's a fair distance from the water, even at the closest point. If you look you can see people on the left out on the rocks. If you're out there you could conceivably slip and fall in, but you ca see it wasn't a heavy surf and this was a windy winter day.

 

[Normal Norm]

There is sad news coming through about Lester - the Police Service of Northern Ireland have posted that "following a post-mortem examination, [we] can confirm that a body recovered from the Causeway Road area of Bushmills on Sunday, 23rd February is that of 20-year-old Lester McLennan".

Police Service of Northern Ireland web page

 

[GraceG]

Such sad news but at least they have him for proper burial. I never believed he went in the water, based on the layout there and where his belongings were found so I'm glad someone kept their eyes open for him and he was found.

 

[starlightstarbright]

Sad news, but at least they can bring him home to his family, which is better than being lost at sea. Causeway Road looks just literally like the road that goes through the area. There are some wooded areas and some farms where he could have hidden in an outbuilding. If he went to an out of the way spot, I can see why he left his bag where he did.