Old Man of Stoer explained

Old Man of Stoer should not be confused with Old Man of Storr.

The Old Man of Stoer is a 60adj=midNaNadj=mid 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

The stack is composed of Stoer Group sandstone, and is high. 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.[1]

Access is normally from the Stoer Head Lighthouse, which is within walking distance of the stack. The lighthouse is on the B869 Lochinver to Unapool road.[2]

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.[3]

Climbing

The Old Man of Stoer is popular with climbers due to its height and approachability.[4] It was first climbed in 1966 by Brian Henderson, Paul Nunn, Tom Patey, and Brian Robertson.[5] Along with Am Buachaille and the Old Man of Hoy, it has become something of a legend among climbers.[6]

To gain access to the foot of the stack, a Tyrolean traverse is necessary, which may require a swimmer to put it in place.[7] There are a number of routes of varying levels of difficulty.[7]

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.[8] [9]

Wildlife

Northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) inhabit the stack and nearby sea cliffs.[10] 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

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: North West Highlands . Island of Hoy Development Trust . 1 December 2013.
  2. Web site: The Old Man of Stoer and the Point of Stoer . Walking Britain . 1 December 2013.
  3. Web site: Grateful: Old Man of Stoer, North Minch . Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland . 1 December 2013.
  4. Web site: Stack Rock . Mellor . Chris . 1 December 2013 . UKClimbing Limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20120212144426/http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/pdf/StackRock1Intro.pdf . 12 February 2012 . dead .
  5. Book: Grylls, Bear . Bear Grylls Great Outdoor Adventures . 9781905026524 . 2009 . 155.
  6. Web site: Old Man of Stoer . 1 December 2013 . UKClimbing Limited.
  7. Web site: Hidden Talent . 15 February 2012 . Channel 4 . 1 December 2013.
  8. Web site: Hidden Talent: my quest to find one . Stuart . Heritage . The Guardian . 24 April 2012 . 1 December 2013.
  9. Web site: Old Man of Stoer . Ross . David . Britain Express . 1 December 2013.
  10. Web site: Assynt Events 2011 . Assynt Leisure Centre . 1 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203034454/http://www.assyntleisure2.force9.co.uk/ranger.pdf . 3 December 2013 . dead .
  11. Web site: Seabirds at Stoer . 4 July 2012 . 1 December 2013 . Crafty Green Poet.
  12. Web site: Seabirds at Stoer . 11 July 2013 . 1 December 2013 . Pelagic Birder.