Climbers 'so grateful' for 'top class' rescue from Old Man of Stoer
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Two men have spoken about their harrowing experience of becoming stuck on a 60 metre (200ft) sandstone sea stack in Sutherland.
The men raised the alarm just before 6.30pm on Thursday after they found themselves crag fast on a small ledge near the bottom of the Old Man of Stoer, unable to make their way up or down in poor weather, with high waves battering the stack and the tide coming in.
The coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Stornoway, along with Achiltibuie, Kinlochbervie and Ullapool Coastguard Rescue Teams, Lochinver RNLI lifeboat and Police Scotland were all sent to help as darkness rolled in.
The men were winched to safety by the coastguard helicopter and taken to Lochinver where they were passed into the care of the coastguard rescue teams. Cold and tired from the ordeal, they were able to make their own way home.
“We’re just so grateful,” Mike said. “I didn’t want to call really, I kept thinking we could get out of it, but the weather was just getting worse and worse, and I started to get really worried about Chris.
“He was much further down the stack than I was, and I kept losing sight of him – he was getting battered by the waves and the sea spray was making everything really difficult, there were moments when I thought he was gone.
“So it was a huge relief to see the helicopter arriving.
“We were both so impressed with the entire rescue operation, every member of the crew were top class. It barely seemed possible to carry out an operation in those conditions so close to the stack but they did it.
“We also really appreciated the teams waiting for us on the ground to ensure we were OK and provided us with blankets to warm us up.
“Chris was a lot worse for wear than I was as he was stuck further down and I know he feels quite lucky – and extremely grateful – that HM Coastguard came to our rescue.
“If the seas had gotten just a bit stormier, all it would have taken was one wave to sweep us away.”
Captain Will MacLeod, from the HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter at Stornoway, said: “This was a potentially life-threatening situation for all involved – the two men who became isolated, and the teams of coastguard rescuers, police and volunteers who responded.
“The Old Man of Stoer is a popular location for climbers but weather can rapidly deteriorate and, particularly at this time of year as we come out of the summer months, rising waves and high winds from the North Sea present significant risks that anyone moving around the coast can expect to encounter.
“Thankfully we were able to return these men to safety without injury. However, the situation could have been far worse had weather conditions become more severe.”
The Old Man of Stoer is popular with climbers due to its height and approachability. It was first climbed in 1966 by Brian Henderson, Paul Nunn, Tom Patey and Brian Robertson.
Along with Am Buachaille and the Old Man of Hoy, it has become something of a legend among climbers.
To gain access to the foot of the stack, a Tyrolean traverse is necessary, which may require a swimmer to put it in place. There are a number of routes of varying levels of difficulty.
In the 2012 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. The nurse and grandmother appeared in the first episode of the show.
