stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

[crfishwick]

I have no idea why on earth people have a problem with this. I'm pretty sure a lot of the times its just kids playing, they see one, so they decide to build one (just as me and my lad did the other week in Glen Feshie). Pretty sure they get knocked over / washed away eventually What next? Lets have a pop at people who dare to remove small flat round stones and do a bit of skimming.

That your opinion and not the majority's view on this forum.

[Giant Stoneater]

I have no idea why on earth people have a problem with this. I'm pretty sure a lot of the times its just kids playing, they see one, so they decide to build one (just as me and my lad did the other week in Glen Feshie). Pretty sure they get knocked over / washed away eventually What next? Lets have a pop at people who dare to remove small flat round stones and do a bit of skimming.

That your opinion and not the majority's view on this forum.

The thing is one kid/adult builds one then another kid/adult comes along thinks that's a good idea I will build one as well and then it goes on and on and on and on till you end up like something at Neist Point on Skye.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=KaY1MCQR&id=C6C41B3D5AC2301C70FD62C51444EBF006AE1678&thid=OIP.KaY1MCQRWjWSM2_8YeIwIgHaFL&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fn7.alamy.com%2fzooms%2f73269bd40e7f499fac23d3e972ea0cd6%2fneist-point-lighthouse-and-rock-sculpturesduirinishisle-of-skyehighlandsinner-bfembr.jpg&exph=447&expw=640&q=neist+point+stones+pictures&simid=608001886522574280&selectedindex=146&ajaxhist=0&cal=0&cab=1&cat=0&car=1&iss=VS

[The_Real_SF]

As much as I dislike rock stacking, if you read David Lintern's latest peice on here, you'll realise there is more pressing and damaging issues facing wild places.

I would suggest that there is a connection.
The only difference between making a stack of stones that affects another person's enjoyment of the place and the construction of hydro power infrastructure is a matter of scale which is reflected in the amount of damage done.
The underlying factors are a lack of understanding and appreciation of wild places and self interest.

Sorry, I am new to this forum and this is the first thread I clicked on but that is an insane comparison. If we truly take this thinking to it's logical conclusion then you must also hate paths, fences, livestock, trails, buildings, bothies, wearing boots that cause footprints, campsites, signs...should we also destroy the path leading to Dunnottar Castle and make people scramble the cliffs?

The idea that we need a complete pristine wilderness saved for the few is ludicrous. Stacking rocks is a child's past time and causes you no actual harm or inconvenience. If you want complete wilderness there are places on earth you can go to.

The National Parks of the UK are Level 5 parks which are managed and habitable places largely owned by private landowners. They are completely different from the national parks at Level 1 or 2 worldwide.

[Sunset tripper]

They dont bother me too much at the moment but I can understand why they upset some folk especially as they are getting more common. To me it's a bit similar to the hammering of coins into old tree trunks and wooden posts which I first saw many years ago while at Malham Cove.
I've heard the stone piles being compared to littering or dog fouling but I think that's a bit extreme. I doubt if many people would have a word with a parent whos child was building a cairn I know I wouldn't.

I don't think hammering coins into dead wood or building cairns is illegal in general. Also I haven't heard of the national parks prohibiting the cairn building phenomenon or removing the coin trees.
I imagine Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park and Argyll and Bute council will be hatching a plan to charge kids a fiver for each cairn they build as one of their money for nothing schemes.

[Ben Nachie]

Ever wondered why the coins are all hammered in to dead trees? Well, it's because the trees have only ended up dead because of the coins. The copper in the coins kills the tree.

Also, just because something isn't illegal doesn't make it right.

[Sunset tripper]

I didn't realise that it was common practice to hammer the coins into living trees. I had always thought the trees had died or been felled first.

I totally agree with you about something being legal doesn't always make it right, the same as something being illegal doesn't always make it wrong.
It was just an observation really. Maybe the laws will change in line with popular opinion.

[The_Real_SF]

Ever wondered why the coins are all hammered in to dead trees? Well, it's because the trees have only ended up dead because of the coins. The copper in the coins kills the tree.

Also, just because something isn't illegal doesn't make it right.

Who hammers coins into healthy trees? Never seen that in my life.

[Skyelines]

The access that we enjoy is specified in the Land Reform Act and the Code that goes with it.

It does not give us permission to alter the landscape beyond that which may be expected from the exercise of rights that the act has given us. It follows that we do not have a right to stack stones as there is no specified activity that is allowed that would make stacking stones a consequence of the exercise of those activities.

Since the land is owned by someone who has their own rights as owner it would mean that any activity that was not covered by the Land Reform Act and Code could be regarded as a trespass if the owner deemed it an infringement of their use and enjoyment of their land. In which case they have a civil case against the stacker. Granted no owner is likely to take such a case to court in regard to stone stacking but the principle would appear to be there as regards law.

The rights that we have to access the land are held in common by us all and therefore it follows that each of us has a responsibility to not interfere with others enjoyment in exercising the rights of access. By stacking stones we immediately impact others. If we are conscious of the common ownership of the right to enjoyment without interference then we will not do anything that would leave behind something that impacts on others..

[Mojocat]

Just a thought, maybe if car parking charges were increased, £9 a day comes to mind for some reason, it may discourage the stone stackers and cairn builders from visiting the countryside leaving the serious walkers in peace to contemplate the wilderness.

[crfishwick]

Just a thought, maybe if car parking charges were increased, £9 a day comes to mind for some reason, it may discourage the stone stackers and cairn builders from visiting the countryside leaving the serious walkers in peace to contemplate the wilderness.

That's a good idea. Make it £20 per hour. Because I use public transport nowaday so no parking charges. Although when driving I can always find a free and safe spot usually.

[Ben Nachie]

Who hammers coins into healthy trees? Never seen that in my life.

That's because hammering coins in to trees is a very old tradition. The trees, chosen for magical/spiritual reasons, were generally chosen quite some time ago.

See for example the 'wish tree' on Isle Maree.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_Maree

[Sunset tripper]

I mind seeing a fencepost on Snowdon full of coins. I'm almost certain it was dead before folk started hammering coins into it.

[rabthecairnterrier]

I second skylines comment above - in full.

[raykilhams]

This is a strange one as it seems to arouse some quite strong feelings. But people have been piling stones on top of each other for thousands of years all over our land. They are referred to in a number of terms such as walls, dykes, enclosures, cottages and even castles.
For those who feel that people should not pile stones then maybe they should start a campaign to rid the landscape of many of these artificial manmade structures. Hadrians Wall for starters.....oh those Romans certainly left many a pile of stones , walls, forts viaducts and bridges . Let's tear the lot down so we can go back to a more natural environment. Hang on though most of our landscape has been shaped by the hand of man . The forests that covered Britain two thousand years ago have almost disappeared, the flora and fauna have changed dramatically. Why, because of mans desire to build piles of stones or fences and tame the land. What we see today, except in a few remote areas is an artificial manmade landscape, home now to many introduced non native species, not some imagined pristine land, but one shaped by my and your ancestors.

So let's not get too upset about a few piles that are here today and gone tomorrow. Mine you my pet hate is painted trees and ugly sculptures in the middle of nowhere, but as they say …..they too will pass.

[al78]

This is a strange one as it seems to arouse some quite strong feelings. But people have been piling stones on top of each other for thousands of years all over our land. They are referred to in a number of terms such as walls, dykes, enclosures, cottages and even castles.
For those who feel that people should not pile stones then maybe they should start a campaign to rid the landscape of many of these artificial manmade structures. Hadrians Wall for starters.....oh those Romans certainly left many a pile of stones , walls, forts viaducts and bridges . Let's tear the lot down so we can go back to a more natural environment. Hang on though most of our landscape has been shaped by the hand of man . The forests that covered Britain two thousand years ago have almost disappeared, the flora and fauna have changed dramatically. Why, because of mans desire to build piles of stones or fences and tame the land. What we see today, except in a few remote areas is an artificial manmade landscape, home now to many introduced non native species, not some imagined pristine land, but one shaped by my and your ancestors.

So let's not get too upset about a few piles that are here today and gone tomorrow. Mine you my pet hate is painted trees and ugly sculptures in the middle of nowhere, but as they say …..they too will pass.

Here we go again with the strawman arguments.

The argument is not about every single possible alteration of the landscape by mankind over history, it is about unnecessary localised alteration of the landscape to the point where it detrimentally affects the beauty of the landscape for visitors. Just because mankind has trashed the original landscape over thousands of years, doesn't justify staining it now.