Old Man of Hoy clean up: Consultation results

The recent survey of the climbing community’s opinion on a proposal for cleaning up the tat on Old Man of Hoy produced an amazing response with 962 comments on the proposals as well as attracting media interest from Sky News, the BBC and The Times. 

Mountaineering Scotland is delighted that we were able to support the volunteer leading this project and provide a platform for the community to express their views on this topic which is obviously of interest and importance to you.

Numerous comments were received, from general observations to more detailed suggestions, but a few themes and trends became clear:

• Overwhelmingly, you were supportive of the aim to remove the old and unsightly tat that had been left behind by decades of climbers. There was some frustration expressed as to why climbers couldn’t, or wouldn’t, take old gear away with them and leave little behind when they were able to.
• There was a clear majority view in favour of moving to a more long-term and low-impact solution for abseil stations and belays – being more sustainable without becoming a sanitised experience; not over-developing the rock and retaining the sense of history and adventure.
• There were mixed views on what this should be, but generally to look at options other than bolts, where it is possible; tending toward like-for-like replacement with modern alternative options - to provide longer term security of ascent and descent without reliance on old and decaying gear.
• The cultural and historical aspects of some of the gear was mentioned with a plea to retain cultural artefacts to give a sense of the history of the ascent. Care will be taken to differentiate between significant historical gear and old stuff that has been left behind, with significant cultural items remaining.
• There were of course views expressed that the rock should be cleared, and left as a natural trad adventure climb as much as possible, relying on the climbing community to police itself and remove old decaying gear. This has been the model for past decades. The current state of the stack suggests that this approach will produce the same result in the near future.

What happens next...

The ideas presented in the consultation, from a climber based in the Highlands who is promoting and privately funding the proposal, are based on their experience of the Old Man itself and of climbing in Scotland generally. All of the comments which have been submitted have been considered and adjustments will be made to the proposal reflecting the general trends expressed in this consultation.

Mountaineering Scotland would like to thank you for your interest and participation in this survey, and for the range of valuable information and insight offered by the climbing community to help take this project forward.