Earth: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 villages of Culkein and Stoer and the nearby Stoer Head Lighthouse. It is a popular climbing route.
Geography
The stack is composed of Torridonian 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
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
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, twite, dunlin, guillemots, razorbills, skylarks, and fulmars.[12][13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ross, David. "Old Man of Stoer". Britain Express. http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=5094. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ "North West Highlands". Island of Hoy Development Trust. http://www.hoyorkney.com/library/SCOrkney.pdf. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ "The Old Man of Stoer and the Point of Stoer". Walking Britain. http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks/walk_b/1266/. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ "Grateful: Old Man of Stoer, North Minch". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/296143/details/grateful+old+man+of+stoer+north+minch/. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ Mellor, Chris. "Stack Rock". UKClimbing Limited. http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/pdf/StackRock1Intro.pdf. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑
- Robinson, Adrian Henry Wardle; Millward, Roy (1983). The Shell book of the British coast. p. 460. ISBN 9780715381502. https://books.google.com/books?id=oVQKAQAAMAAJ.
- "The Old Man of Stoer and the point". walkhighlands.co.uk. http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ullapool/old-man-of-stoer.shtml. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- Scott, Doug (1996). "Obituary: Paul James Nunn 1943-1995". Alpine Journal 101: 325–329. http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1996_files/AJ%201996%20315-342%20In%20Memoriam.pdf. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ↑ Grylls, Bear (2009). Bear Grylls Great Outdoor Adventures. p. 155. ISBN 9781905026524. https://books.google.com/books?id=ULw_9xQg_ygC&pg=RA1-PT155#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Old Man of Stoer". UKClimbing Limited. http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=300. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ "Hidden Talent". Channel 4. 15 February 2012. http://www.channel4.com/info/press/programme-information/hidden-talent. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ Heritage, Stuart (24 April 2012). "Hidden Talent: my quest to find one". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/apr/24/hidden-talent-tests. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ "Assynt Events 2011". Assynt Leisure Centre. http://www.assyntleisure2.force9.co.uk/ranger.pdf. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ "Seabirds at Stoer". Crafty Green Poet. 4 July 2012. http://craftygreenpoet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/seabirds-at-stoer.html. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ↑ "Seabirds at Stoer". Pelagic Birder. 11 July 2013. http://pelagicbirder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/old-man-of-stoer.html. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
[ ⚑ ] 58°15′39.51″N 5°22′57.76″W / 58.260975°N 5.3827111°W
 |
