Climbing The Old Man of Stoer
Well you gotta do something away from the splitboard.
Scotland’s coastline is full of sea stacks, all called "‘the old man of…’ and I’d always want to get to the top of one of them. A guide friend of mine said he’d take me, and my 13 year old son, up The Old Man of Stoer, after a great few days climbing together on the cliffs of Mangersta, Isle of Lewis.
We slept at the lighthouse a 3 km walk from the Old Man, there’s nothing there other than a long drop and a few parking places.
It’s a scramble down to the seas edge, but we abseiled to keep my boy safe.
Some early birds beat us to the rock, but it did mean one of us didn’t have to swim as we just trew them a rope to set up a tyrolean.
First pitch is a tricky traverse, fortunately no one went for a swig or swim.
Some fine Scottish tat.
The Old Man of Stoer is 60m tall and thats us in the cave halfway up, the next pitch is very airy, followed by a hanging belay.
Made the top in around two and a half hours, climbing as a three.
Tide came in, and our tyrolean off was very close to the water, thankfully it was a flat sea.
