Old Man of Hoy: Climbing 'tat' to be removed from Orkney sea stack

Decades of rusted bolts, old safety ropes and rotting pegs left by climbers could be removed from Orkney's Old Man of Hoy.

Mountaineering Scotland has shared a proposal to remove the rubbish and install newer, safer equipment.

The mountaineering organisation is conducting a consultation for climbers to share their thoughts on the improvements.

The work will also provide protection for seabirds breeding in the area.

A post on the Mountaineering Scotland website describes the sea stack off Orkney as a "classic climb".

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But it adds that it is a "mess of old, rotting gear that has been left behind at each belay and accumulated over decades of use".

It continues: "Many of the fixed belays are made up of rotten tat tied to rotten tat, tied off to rotten bolts.

"An ascent of the Old Man of Hoy should be a classic adventure, a pilgrimage for UK trad climbers, not a game of abseil roulette following success on the summit."

As well as safety concerns, Mountaineering Scotland says it goes against the ethic of "leaving no trace".

It wants to remove and dispose of rotting climbing rubbish and make abseil stations safer.

Danger to birds

RSPB Scotland, which owns the site, said it supported the proposal to clean up the sea stack by removing ropes and other material.

"This will benefit birds which live and nest on the rocks by removing items and material left by humans, which could cause entanglement or issues when they break down," a spokesperson said.

"It should also encourage future climbers to use more predictable routes which would reduce disturbance to the birds, as well as making it safer for climbers."

The 137m (450ft) sea stack is one of the tallest in the UK and has been popular with climbers since it was first ascended by Sir Chris Bonington, Tom Patey and Rusty Bailie in 1966.

Davie Black, access and conservation officer for Mountaineering Scotland, said: "While we are supportive of this proposal to clean up decades of tat on the Old Man of Hoy, we know that this and the use of bolts to aid abseil descent is an emotive topic in the climbing community.

"This is why we are consulting them on this high-profile project, and look forward to hearing the views of those climbers with an interest in this nationally important sea stack."