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stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Mal Grey » Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:04 pm

I hate these little piles of balanced stones, they're becoming a plague. A while back it was names laid out in pebbles, even worse.

To me its simple. If somebody is tempted to build something like this, probably having spent time and effort getting to a lovely spot because they'd heard it was beautiful, they should ask themself if what they're wanting to do will make a wonderful part of the wilds more beautiful, or less. Unless the person believes they are better than mother nature, the answer will always be less beautiful.

I don't understand the logic of anybody who visits our wonderful natural resources and doesn't want them to stay as beautiful. Presumably they go there because they want to appreciate that beauty. So how can they want to leave anything behind, be it litter or pebbles.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Sunset tripper » Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:58 pm

Moriarty wrote:
I note you've prioritised this discussion as worthy of comment. I do hope it hasn't taken you away from any social media commentary (or real life action) that might save the planet.

No need to worry I didn't have time to save the planet today anyway :thumbdown:

Moriarty wrote:
This is just a forum to gas in

Fair comment as long as you are talking for yourself and not everyone else. :wink:


Moriarty wrote:
Pitching up on a pantomime high horse and patting yourself on the back certainly contributes absolutely nada regardless.

Don't be so hard on yourself I'm sure no one thinks that. :D

All the best :D
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby stirlingdavo » Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:08 pm

Tinman wrote:OK I've finally bitten on this one.

What the bloody hell has golf courses got to do with this?

Whilst I appreciate golf is not everyone's cup of tea, it is still a game enjoyed by many from all walks of life involving some form of exercise and much banter by albeit, alas these days, generally ageing folk of which I am one. Golf for many is good company.

As to the actual subject matter, for the record I often add stones to both summit cairns & those on route. Re the latter, I do so as strangely, & especially in mist, I find it quite reassuring to see the odd cairn now and again so that I know I am still on the right track (No different really from the reassurance gained from following a line of fence posts). Being older, & therefore set in my ways, I still use a map & compass so any other traditional way of helping with route finding (in mist) is OK with me.

Note I did say the odd cairn. Those leading from the summit of Cairn Gorm to the mountain cafe are, even for me, a little OTT.

As for "Stone stacking"; could I ask where Stonehenge fits in to all this? Is this World Heritage Site to be knocked over as well?


I think he probably means this proposed golf course Tinman.....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-44537876

I'm no hater of golf either but why we bend over every time some wealthy businessman flashes his wallet and wants to build a course on our protected nature sites is beyond me. :roll:

As for the original topic, cairns to mark a path or a summit are fine with me. But one will do! And I'd really prefer not to see dozens at every beauty spot in the highlands.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby charlie7000 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 11:46 am

I hate the piles of stones. Not navigational cairns, but the ones put up by tourists for thier photo shoots - Gneist point, ,Sligachan, Glen Nevis, probably everywhere along the NC500 now. I've been encountering them in increasingly isolated spots too. Somewhere nearby the piles of stones are the piles of poo and piles of toilet paper.
I've seen tour busses pull up at popular locations for groups to get off the bus and pose with the piles and build more. These tour operators should take responsibility for the mess they're making!
PS not tarring all tour operators with the same brush as I know of at least one that tells their clients not to touch them or make any more.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby mynthdd2 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:45 pm

leave it as you find it is not negotiable ie before they built the things - I shall therefore kick the ones on beaches over
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby mynthdd2 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:55 pm

however - whilst doing the CWT I came across several very small piles of stones by burns which (under some pressing) a ghillie told me was to keep the faeries away (ie the dodgy Celtic ones like Aerial and not Tinkerbell)
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Sgurr » Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:47 pm

mynthdd2 wrote:however - whilst doing the CWT I came across several very small piles of stones by burns which (under some pressing) a ghillie told me was to keep the faeries away (ie the dodgy Celtic ones like Aerial and not Tinkerbell)


That's terrrible. If you keep away fairies they won't build bridges for you. This one over the Abhain an t’ Strathain (on the CWT). was rebuilt by fairies. It said so on the notice a couple of years ago


Image
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby mynthdd2 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:14 pm

hmmm not sure about that although I am aware that there is enough folklore and a lot of place names to suggest that the Highland faeries (as is the case in many of the worlds mountains) are naughty enough to steal your soul - so on second thoughts lets have a few more stone stacks by remote burns
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby al78 » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:05 am

stirlingdavo wrote:I think he probably means this proposed golf course Tinman.....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-44537876

I'm no hater of golf either but why we bend over every time some wealthy businessman flashes his wallet and wants to build a course on our protected nature sites is beyond me. :roll:


You've answered your question there.

We live in a capitalist economy, and money is power, other considerations secondary. We get what we vote for.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby basscadet » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:30 am

charlie7000 wrote:I hate the piles of stones. Not navigational cairns, but the ones put up by tourists for thier photo shoots - Gneist point, ,Sligachan, Glen Nevis, probably everywhere along the NC500 now. I've been encountering them in increasingly isolated spots too. Somewhere nearby the piles of stones are the piles of poo and piles of toilet paper.
I've seen tour busses pull up at popular locations for groups to get off the bus and pose with the piles and build more. These tour operators should take responsibility for the mess they're making!
PS not tarring all tour operators with the same brush as I know of at least one that tells their clients not to touch them or make any more.


I tell my passengers to enjoy a bit of vandalism by knocking them over :lol:

Most of the ones at the slig have been removed recently in preparation for a bonny statue of McKenzie and Collie :D

You know where this trend came from? A kids show called 'In the night garden' where Makka Pakka likes cleaning up by stacking stones.. How bloomin frustrating.. :?
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Avocetboy » Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:21 pm

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.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Sgurr » Wed Aug 15, 2018 4:42 pm

I think it is now a "thing" and has its own facebook page, championships etc.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Europeanstonestacking/posts/?ref=page_internal
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Mal Grey » Wed Aug 15, 2018 5:46 pm

Avocetboy wrote: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.


Its the scale of it, in certain areas its getting daft. The odd pile on its own, I don't have a problem with, and would be a hypocrite if I did, as I've built little ones on beaches in the past. Its also reached the stage where stones are being pulled from other areas, to build on the flat bits, and the land is being damaged by this. Personally, I'd rather see the natural landscape than 200 little piles of rocks.

I do think its marginally better than the "writing names with stones" thing I remember lots of around some of the nice beaches in the Far North West a few years back.

By the way, I was in Boston this morning, first time I've ever been as an adult. Nice little market town. :)
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Sunset tripper » Wed Aug 15, 2018 7:50 pm

basscadet wrote:I tell my passengers to enjoy a bit of vandalism by knocking them over :lol:



You need to take them up to Smoo Cave - a lot of stones to kick over up there. :D

Smoo Cave stone collection 26-07-18 :shock:
20180815_193652-640x418.jpg
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Avocetboy » Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:31 am

Mal Grey wrote:
Avocetboy wrote: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.


Its the scale of it, in certain areas its getting daft.

By the way, I was in Boston this morning, first time I've ever been as an adult. Nice little market town. :)


Point taken, as I have only seen small scale piles, but I can imagine if numerous in number, they could be unsightly.

Yes, Boston is not a bad town, its suffered some bad press over recent times, but has the potential to become a beacon of multiculturalism
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