Old Man of Stoer
The Old Man of Stoer is a 60-metre-high (200 ft) sea stack of Torridonian sandstone in Sutherland, Scotland, close to the villages of Culkein and Stoer and the nearby Stoer Head Lighthouse. It is a popular climbing route.
Geography
[edit]The stack is composed of Stoer Group sandstone, and is 60 metres (200 ft) high.[1] It is in The Minch, a strait in north-west Scotland, separating the north-west Highlands and the northern Inner Hebrides from Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides.[2]
Access is normally from the Stoer Head Lighthouse, which is within walking distance of the stack.[1] The lighthouse is on the B869 Lochinver to Unapool road.[3]
The seas around the Old Man of Stoer have claimed a number of vessels. There is believed to be the wreck of a fishing boat in the vicinity of the stack, which sank on 17 February 1953.[4]
Climbing
[edit]
The Old Man of Stoer is popular with climbers due to its height and approachability.[5] It was first climbed in 1966 by Brian Henderson, Paul Nunn, Tom Patey, and Brian Robertson.[6] Along with Am Buachaille and the Old Man of Hoy, it has become something of a legend among climbers.[7]
To gain access to the foot of the stack, a Tyrolean traverse is necessary, which may require a swimmer to put it in place.[8] There are a number of routes of varying levels of difficulty.[8]
In the Channel 4 television programme Hidden Talent, 45-year-old Maggie Reenan climbed the stack after 18 days of intensive training, after her natural aptitude for climbing was discovered.[9][10]
Wildlife
[edit]Northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) inhabit the stack and nearby sea cliffs.[1] Other wildlife in the area includes the great skua (also known by its Norse name "bonxie") peregrines, pinnipeds and cetaceans.[11]
Seabirds which can be seen include bonxies, guillemots, fulmars, razorbills and other birds including twite, skylarks, and dunlin.[12][13]
In Media/Television
[edit]- The 2010 TV series Men of Rock produced by the BBC about pioneering geologists working in Scotland. It is presented by Professor Iain Stewart.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ross, David. "Old Man of Stoer". Britain Express. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "North West Highlands" (PDF). Island of Hoy Development Trust. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "The Old Man of Stoer and the Point of Stoer". Walking Britain. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Grateful: Old Man of Stoer, North Minch". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ Mellor, Chris. "Stack Rock" (PDF). UKClimbing Limited. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^
- Robinson, Adrian Henry Wardle; Millward, Roy (1983). The Shell book of the British coast. p. 460. ISBN 9780715381502.
- "The Old Man of Stoer and the point". walkhighlands.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- Scott, Doug (1996). "Obituary: Paul James Nunn 1943-1995" (PDF). Alpine Journal. 101: 325–329. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ Grylls, Bear (2009). Bear Grylls Great Outdoor Adventures. p. 155. ISBN 9781905026524.
- ^ a b "Old Man of Stoer". UKClimbing Limited. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Hidden Talent". Channel 4. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ Heritage, Stuart (24 April 2012). "Hidden Talent: my quest to find one". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Assynt Events 2011" (PDF). Assynt Leisure Centre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Seabirds at Stoer". Crafty Green Poet. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Seabirds at Stoer". Pelagic Birder. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.