Climbing the Old Man of Stoer. The Old Man is a large standing formation of rock part of the Trotternish ridge. The old man of Stoer is an iconic section of rock in the north west highlands of Scotland. Tom Patey was not only a well-known climber; he was a GP, and writer also. The coast and the path then descend fairly steeply to reach the grassy area immediately above the Old Man. Rock climbers from Glasgow University Climbing Club tackle the Old Man of Stoer a 60 meter high (197ft) Torridonian sandstone sea stack in Sutherland north west Highlands of Scotland The descent to the stack feels a bit like stepping off a cliff, and would be far easier in the dry, but feels like a slightly sketchy scramble. All in all a fantastic adventure and worth taking a trip up to see a remarkable piece of UK coastline. I'm sure Owen will remember his climb of Old Man of Stoer at the age of 12 forever; I certainly will. Routes on The Old Man of Hoy range in difficulty from E1 to E6. The Old Man of Storr is the Isle of Skye’s most popular and most photographed location. Pitch 3 was in my opinion the hard pitch, plenty of gear but burly moves on big rounded holds, as you zigzag your way up the south face of the stack and reach an amazing thread belay. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Sutherland, north west Scotland, UK. It is the most crowded between 10 am and 3 pm. The shadow of the stack gives a brilliant perspective of the structure on which we were standing on, and a real feeling of achievement for climbing one of the UK’s most unique rock features. This is climbing it by the Original Route, which was first climbed in 1966 by the legendary strong team consisting of. Saz in the Final V-groove, as the stack begins to cast a long shadow. Here's a short video I made about a recent trip to climb and film the super-classic Old Man of Stoer sea stack in the region of Sutherland in the Far North West of Scotland. ... Old Man of Stoer, Lochinver Rock Climbing. This amazing sea stack is 70 metres high and was first climbed by Dr Tom Patey - abseil loops can usually be seen draped around the summit. March 19, 2018 × On top of the Old Man of Stoer. The climbing of The Old Man of Hoy is given the grade of E1 5b. Once at the bottom, I got ready for the swim (being the most accomplished swimmer out of two poor swimmers) and made my way across the narrow channel, with the rope and a drybag . Warm greetings Summit Posters on a cold but sunny day from Bristol in the UK! Climbing the Old Man of Hoy July 29, 2019; Follow Blog via Email. 1 Comment Greg Bartlett. In the few hours we were there we say dolphins, porpoise and seals. This wild coastline is full of birds and sea life. You can take the opportunity to walk up and down the Storr on a 3.8km route, that takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete. All informations, geo location, photos, videos and betas about The Old Man of Stoer are available on ClimbingAway ! So slimy was the horizontal groove that I quickly and shamelessly resorted to aid climbing, getting us to the start of the second pitch relatively quickly, and preferable to waiting another hour for the tide to do the scramble round and avoid it. If you just want to see beta then click on view ascents with beta. Wow - just read the blog Mike and that sure brought back memories of a time I did the stack while we worked at OB Loch Eil. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Photography Alice and Nigel Osmaston. Pitch 5 takes on a v- shaped groove that is really obvious from the land, is slow to dry and so I found it quite exciting, the rest of the pitch is more straightforward as you reach the large ledge just below the top. To… First climbed in 1966 by Tom Patey (Ullapools’ local GP at the time). Approach notes. We had a five day trip, giving three potential climbing days. Prepare your next rock climbing trip! We retreated to the nearest town for beer, fire and local seafood, and keep our fingers crossed for the next day. We had a five day trip, giving three potential climbing days. Climbing Area Map This is our best guess at this area's location. Its ascent in the later stages escapes from initial busy paths round the Old Man of Storr and offers spectacular views. After this, I became aware of the Old Man of Hoy as an even more impressive sea stack and put it on my tick list. Luck was on our side. We climbed with 50m ropes, and were lucky to find that our ropes made it all the way down with centimetres to spare, rather than having to use the very suspect looking intermediate abseil point. Sadly Patey dies at the young age of 38 whilst abseiling from ‘The Maiden’ a Scottish sea stack. The area in front of the cliffs of the Storr is known as the Sanctuary. The Old Man of Stoer is a 60 metres (200 ft) high sea stack of Torridonian sandstone in Sutherland, Scotland, close to villages of Culkein and Stoer and the nearby Stoer Head Lighthouse. We aim to combine Hoy with the Old Man of Stoer and other sea cliff or mountain crag venues, on a mini road trip across this amazing part of the UK. Tidal and wind affected. The first Blind Lead the Old Man of Hoy, off Orkney, Scotland On the 4th June 2019, I successfully became the first blind person to lead the classic East Face Route (Original Route) E1 5b (6 pitches) up the Old Man of Hoy. 26th May 2013. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of my new posts by email. The most popular route by far is the Original Route, VS, 75m. When we returned to the van, we thought for a moment that someone had left a note, it turned out they had, it was from the lady from the tea shack and included two Tunnocks caramel wafers. A short video about a recent trip to climb and film the super-classic Old Man of Stoer in the Far North West of Scotland. My new high point and getting in ‘the zone’, Climbing Blind – Brit Rock Film Tour 2019, Reflecting on my 2019 International Comp Season. Please visit our Covid-19 Climb Information page for Covid FAQs, details of our new participation requirements, travel advice and what to expect on your trip. Famous for its maginficent scenery and views, the Old Man of Storr is a popular hotspot for hikers, hill walkers and photographers. The rock is Torridonian sandstone, meaning it was formed before any significant life on earth existed. Considering we were already wet, it made sense to set up our own. We descended the wet scramble once again in drizzle, but remarkably, as we set foot on the platform at the bottom, the rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun came out. ( Log Out /  The stack is located about 2.5 hours drive from Inverness, along winding roads that make part of the North Coast 500 – ‘Scotlands answer to route 66’. We stayed at the picturesque Clachtoll Beach campsite, which is next to those white sandy beaches that you only find in Scotland, and Thailand, apparently. Full of wit and great stories. Scramble down to the platform opposite the base of the stack. There are also other routes on the stack; two E1s an E2 and an E5. The best times to visit are early in the morning and later in the day. The Old Man of Stoer is a 60-metre-high sea stack of Torridonian sandstone in Sutherland, Scotland, close to villages of Culkein and Stoer and the nearby … The Old Man of Stoer is an awesome climb that you do not want to miss. Well deserved. Climbers Alice Osmaston and Andrew Wielochowski. December 21, 2017 January 4, 2018 Daniel Easton. Other climbers in his party were Brian Roberton, Brian Henderson, and Paul Nunn. The ‘Old Man’ is a large pinnacle of rock that stands high and can be seen for miles around. Initial optimism in the forecast turned to look more like a washout, but we decided to take the risk and fly to Inverness to see how it went. The Old Man of Storr is located on the Trotternish Loop, 7 miles north of Portree. For those who are not savvy to the British grading system for climbs, the adjectival “E” refers to ‘Extremely severe’. The beauty of the area and iconic stone formation "The Old Man of Storr" add to the popularity of the hike. The walk from the Stoer lighthouse to the old man of stoer if a wonderful walk with fantasic views. Getting There Public Transport: Bus number 57 - 4 times a day from Portree - get off near Storr car park. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Park near the lighthouse and walk along the cliff-tops. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. We had climbed fast enough that the tide hadn’t yet come in, which was lucky as the tyrolean had lost a fair bit of tension during the day, we suspect from drying out in the sunshine. I led all 6 pitches clean, placing my own gear as I climbed. ( Log Out /  Descend steep grass to reach the sea. 19/5/2020 03:14:44. Saz took pitch 2 which really gave a feel for the wonderful grippy rock that felt quite gritstone-y to me, and the weather at this point was calm real and sunny. If one is not in place then a swimmer (preferably a volunteer) is needed in the party. I found the climbing on the Original Route VS 5a on the Old Man of Stoer tough in places, particularly the initial greasy traverse. Best known for ‘One Man’s Mountains’, which is a fantastic, read. This year we decided to just book some flights for mid September and hope the weather was favourable. The first sight of the stack was an inspiring sight, and as we got closer we could see that no traverse line was in place, we’d have to do the ‘full sea stack experience’ and set up our own. Geology. The Storr is the craggy summit atop the grand cliffs behind the famous pinnacle of the Old Man of Storr. This has a number of weirdly shaped rock pinnacles, the remnants of ancient landslips. We had been talking about a trip up to the Old Man of Stoer for about six years. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of my new posts by email. We had been talking about a trip up to the Old Man of Stoer for about six years. On top of the Old Man of Stoer. The 50m abseil is free-hanging and exciting, and deposits you right back on top of the tyrolean. This is climbing it by the Original Route, which was first climbed in 1966 by the legendary Tom Patey. Pitch 4 traverses round onto the landward face, and isn’t as easy as it appears. Perhaps even more challenging is reaching the base of the stack through the surging sea. The climbing of The Old Man of Stoer is given the grade of VS 5a. Check out what is happening on The Old Man of Stoer (note there is an unresolved system issue where ascents logged before 2010 are not displayed in the stream below). Change ). An account of a climb on the Original Route, Old Man of Stoer Some of my walking buddies had organised a walking trip to the Assynt region of North West Scotland for our Spring 2011 walking weekend. Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. It is a popular climbing … The tyrolean hadn’t disappeared in the sea overnight, and so we tyrolean-ed and I began the route, which is a VS on the Original route, starting with the 5a traverse pitch, which is usually damp, and this was the case. We spent the third day doing short seacliff trad at a crag called Reiff – a great place for a ‘rest’ day, even though the weather wasn’t great – by that point we didn’t care. The walk in was extremely boggy, and attempts to skirt round only resulted in even wetter feet. The Landward Face HVS/VS 4c on Am Buachaille was my favourite - while the stack was logistically a bit more of a challenge to get at and away from, I really enjoyed the climbing and the wonderful location. The day at the Old Man of Stoer involves a swim (for some brave soul) and setting up a tyrolean traverse to the base of the climb. This year we decided to just book some flights for mid September and hope the weather was favourable. Such an impressive place, and still one of my best "adventures" climbing. Explore 'Old Man of Stoer on iloveclimbing.co' and its surroundings on iloveclimbing.co. At this point you come to be level with the cliff which if you are lucky might be full of cheering spectators, (but it appeared that our heroic ascent had gone unnoticed) Once Saz had reached the top a short scramble puts us at the very top of the stack, with amazing views down every side and back to the land. Day 1 weather was forecast to be awful, and it was just that, but we decided to at least go and look at the stack, and see if the tyrolean traverse line was in place. The Storr is a prime example of the Trotternish landslip, the longest such feature in Great Britain.It is the type locality for the mineral gyrolite.. August 2015. Having climbed the old man of Stoer once before I knew what I was letting myself in for, at least I thought I did. The water was actually not too bad, and after clipping the middle of the rope to a stack using some cord and some in-situ gear, Saz tensioned the line and I tested it on the way back to dry land. Plus, if the weather gets in the way (which it can do in this part of the world), we’ll have a buffer. Many stacks offer a fantastic adventure, and this one is right up there; a sea channel that demands a swim and/or some tyrloean rope tricks, crashing waves, time pressure from the incoming tide, a … Expect it to be very busy. ( Log Out /  We made our way up the scramble and walked out triumphantly as the evening sun began to dip. The walk in was boggy but at least we knew the way, the showers were persistent and the Old Man looked rather damp. On a clear day you can see the hebrides to the west, and looking south you get the view of the mountains from Sulvein, Stac Pollaidh, Ben More and more. Climbing the Old Man of Stoer in Scotland. A Tyrolean traverse is required to access the stack. The next morning was wet, and after a few hours of sitting in the van and fighting with the campsites surprising, but unreliable wifi service, we geared up and got going. Join me as we journey to the top of this mighty sea stack and enjoy the stunning landscape of the Northwest of Scotland.. We’ll do this climb over two days so that we don’t have to rush. The famous sea stack made its way onto Jesse's ticklist back in 2008 when Molly (Jesse's partner) spotted a photo of the Old Man of Stoer in a guidebook: 'She suggested we go check it out, so we did and had a great day climbing it. ( Log Out /  EWP. With the fantastic help of Emma Cave on Camera 2, climbing buddies Paul Donnithorne plus Emma Alsford of Morocco Rock and not forgetting some invaluable assistance from Ghillie and Tigger too! As part of the Trotternish ridge the Storr was created by a massive ancient landside, leaving one of the most photographed landscapes in the world. Arguably one of the best sea stacks in the United Kingdom, The Old Man of Stoer (Stake), makes for an adventurous day out and an all round exceptional climb. There are two other routes up the stack one 5.9 the other 5.11. 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