A Welsh influencer has apologised after hauling a full-size bathtub up a mountain and leaving it there, describing the whole episode as an “honest mistake” that he deeply regrets.
Tom Christopher became the centre of a social media storm after footage emerged of him carrying the bathtub up the mountain wearing nothing but flip flops, before filling it up and bathing at the summit for content. The stunt grabbed plenty of attention online, but not the kind he was probably hoping for.
The problem was simple. He left the bathtub behind.
Abandoning large objects on Welsh mountains is not just frowned upon, it causes real damage. Mountain rescue teams, conservation volunteers and land managers already deal with enough litter and irresponsible behaviour from visitors without having to shift abandoned furniture off hillsides. The countryside code is clear about leaving no trace, and a bathtub is about as far from leaving no trace as it gets.
Christopher has since come out and said sorry, insisting he never meant any harm and that it was a genuine mistake rather than a deliberate act of environmental vandalism. He said he had not anticipated the backlash and acknowledged that leaving the tub behind was wrong.
But many people were not buying the apology, pointing out that carrying something up a mountain and then choosing not to carry it back down is a decision, not an accident. Several users on social media were quick to note that the effort required to get a bathtub to a summit in flip flops must have been considerable, which makes the choice to abandon it on the way down all the more baffling.
Wales has seen a growing tension between the rise of influencer culture and the protection of its natural landscapes. Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and other iconic areas have all faced pressure from visitors seeking dramatic backdrops for social media content, sometimes at the expense of the environment and local communities.
Conservation groups have repeatedly warned that the pursuit of viral moments is leading people to behave in ways they simply would not have considered a decade ago. The bathtub incident has been held up as a prime example of that trend taken to an absurd extreme.
Local reaction in Wales has been largely one of frustration. Many people who live near the mountains and care about their upkeep pointed out that volunteer groups spend weekends picking up litter and maintaining paths, only to see stunts like this undo goodwill and create extra work.
There is also a broader question about accountability. Influencers who use Wales as a backdrop for content that generates views and income have a responsibility to treat the landscape with respect. When things go wrong, a quick apology posted online does not clean up the mess left behind.
It remains unclear whether the bathtub has been removed yet, and no confirmation has come from Christopher about whether he arranged for it to be taken back down after the backlash hit.
What is clear is that the incident has sparked a wider conversation about what responsibilities come with building an audience online, especially when the content involves Wales and its protected natural spaces. Stunning landscapes are not props, and the mountains do not care how many followers you have.