The Mountaineering Council of Scotland

Issue 28 September 2005

TALKING POINT Mountain Memorials by Glyn Jones Balmoral Estates Ranger Are the Scottish mountains suitable places for memorials to loved ones or should they remain free of human detritus in all its forms? With this sensitive issue being tackled on Ben Nevis by the Nevis Partnership and proposals being discussed for a statue commemorating Collie and Mackenzie in the Cuillin we asked one estate looking after mountain lands their view. My first memorial About eight years ago I was working as a warden for the National Trust in Northern Snowdonia. One of the projects I'd been involved with was removing a series of stone cairns, which followed the main path across the Carneddau ridge. The cairns were of no benefit either from a navigation or safety point of view but every year they grew bigger and bigger. Their construction by hill-walkers had resulted in periglacial ground being damaged and fragile areas of rhacomitrium heath being destroyed, so they had to go. Lower down the slopes on the shores of Llyn Anafon I came across a similar stone cairn. I eagerly set about dismantling the structure in the cheery knowledge that I was getting rid of another intrusive artefact. Half way into the cairn I came across a small wooden cross with the name Sam written on it. By now, I was used to finding litter stuffed into cairns, so thought nothing of it and carried on with my work. However, deeper into the cairn I started finding scraps of fur! It took me a short while to put two and two together and realise that I was taking apart a memorial to man's best friend. I quickly cobbled the cairn back together and left the scene feeling guilty and ashamed of what I had just done. The current situation Over the past three years I have been working as a ranger for Balmoral Estates. Approximately 180,000 walkers and climbers visit the Estate annually and the shores of Loch Muick have become a popular place for others to posthumously mark ones territory. About 300 meters from the Spittal of Glen Muick car park you arrive at 'Doug's favourite place'. Doug's favourite place is a glacial erratic, it commands a splendid view across the Spittal bog and has a little path leading up to it, around it and down the other side. Since Doug died in 1992 his boulder has had a stone slab screwed onto it which informs everyone, that now visits, that they are at 'Doug's favourite place'. A little further up the track we arrive at 'Mothers' boulder. This boulder has a good selection of pot plants around its base, including a begonia. There is also a black metal frame with the words 'In Loving Memory of Dear Mother' inscribed on it in gold lettering. If you venture behind the boulder you find, stuffed into a crevice, a collection of poems and pictures dedicated to Mum. Further up the Glen at the shore of Loch Muick on a sandy beach next to the outflow of the Black Burn a white plastic plaque has been glued onto a boulder to commemorate another poor soul - a poem by Tennyson marks his passing. Probably, the most famous memorial on Lochnagar is to Bill Stuart, a climber who died on the cliffs in 1953. This memorial is found next to the main path near the Fox's Cairn Well and is even marked on the 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map. The memorial is a carved stone plinth which stands on top of a large boulder. The words read 'Sacred to the memory of Bill Stuart' with some poetry by Byron. The memorial stands about four feet high and I assume it has been present for about fifty years. In recent years, however, an additional plastic plaque has been added with some of Bill's life history and a photograph of the man himself in military uniform smoking a cigarette. This photo has been provided by the family of Bill Stuart, who do not agree with the opinions expressed by the author here. more comments When I take guided walks past this point it's always a good place to stop both to fill drinking bottles at the well and also for people to take in the view and read the memorial plaque. I now ask the folks in my group what they think we should do about the Bill Stuart memorial and suggest to them that it would be five minutes work taking it down with the use of a sledge hammer. Opinion is always very strongly divided, usually right down the middle. There are so many worthy reasons that people can suggest to leave it standing. Most people agree however, that no more material should be added to the memorial. Compared to the situation in Wales mountain memorials are a relatively common site on Lochnagar, and as each year goes by I find new memorials being erected, discover old ones I did not know existed or find old ones that have been enlarged or added to in some way. This may be due to the iconic nature of the mountain or it may be due to the demography of its visitors. The age profile of our visitors tends to be a bit more top heavy than Northern Snowdonia, so they may be prone to asking the deeper questions in life, for example 'how will I be remembered?' Some of the memorials are better hidden than others and I hope that I know the location of most mountain memorials now present on the Estate. However, unlike Wales, all of the memorials I have found on the hill are dedicated to humans, although there are a couple within the Balmoral Castle garden to the memory of Queen Victoria's favourite dogs. What's the problem? Collectively mountain memorials have a worse impact than litter. They are intrusive; they have been erected in prominent places on the open hill so that they can be seen and they are usually found in remote locations where the landscape possesses 'wild land' qualities. In these circumstances they have the greatest impact. Mountain memorials also have a similar effect as litter. Every ranger knows that the more litter present on a site the more likely people are to add to it. Similarly, the more memorials that people see, the more likely they are to perceive that it is an acceptable thing to do and erect more. Some of the memorials I have come across are truly cringe-worthy and they often leave me thinking whether the deceased climber or walker would have approved. I wonder if 'Doug's favourite place' would have been his favourite place if, when he had first visited, he found a plaque already on it declaring it to be 'Bob's' favourite place. Balmoral Estates policy Memorials are most often erected without the consent of the Estate. However, we are sometimes formally approached by groups that have lost a loved one and want to mark their passing in some way. This often involves the scattering of ashes or maybe a short service. As this leaves no impact we are always happy to grant consent and often help the group to gain access to their chosen site. Another common request is to plant a tree in memory of a deceased relative. This is usually a bit more problematic. The species and provenance of the tree need to be considered and a suitable location found. Requests for memorial picnic tables, benches and bridges are fairly common. These structures can usually be accommodated after an appropriate location has been agreed i.e. away from the open hill and clustered near to other access infrastructure. For this reason, what we deem to be an acceptable location is not suitable for the aspirations of the bereaved, who often seek more open landscapes with dramatic views. The long term maintenance of these structures must also be taken into account. When we receive a request for a memorial plaque to be erected on the open hill, we do not dismiss it immediately. We try to guide the relatives towards a different option. If this fails then we have to consider the design of the memorial, its size, what it is made out of, how and where it will be placed. Memorials that are so discreet that only those connected to the deceased are able to find them are acceptable. This may take the form of a flat stone embedded in the ground which allows vegetation to grow over it. Or a very discreet wooden memorial that will bio-degrade within the space of a few years. So far, we have not taken down any of the existing memorials. However, when the inevitable happens and plaques eventually drop off from their boulders we bury the plaque in the ground as close as possible to their original location. Final comments Obviously, the deceased do not benefit from having their favourite place labelled for all to see. But there is no doubt that erecting mountain memorials provides a sense of closure for many friends and relatives. Loved ones have an attractive place to go to remember their dead in a positive way, rather than visiting a dingey graveyard. With the increasing appreciation and understanding of what 'wild-land' means in the UK, I hope that any informed climber or hill-walker would not countenance their own mountain memorial. However, it is possible that relatives with the best intentions could erect a permanent eyesore in your memory once you have pegged it. So when you are lying on your death bed and a relative asks you where your favourite place is please do not gasp the name of your favourite mountain. Views from Other Organisations: The John Muir Trust Depsite regular tidy ups, the summit of Ben Nevis continues to be cluttered with plaques, painted stones, memorials, flags, urns, plastic fowers etc. Many of the plaques are simply insensitive claims to fame for reaching the summit, others are highly sensitive memorials to loved ones who either died on Ben Nevis or had a close association with mountains. The John Muir Trust, with the full support of the Nevis Partnership and the Highland Council, is in the process of developing a specific custom built memorial near to the visitor centre in Glen Nevis. The object of this is to provide an appealing, manageable site which will discourage people from leaving memorials on the summit. Once the new site is up and running and every effort has been made to contact those who have left memorials on the summit, the intention is to relocate memorials to the new site. The peace-cairn, where many of the plaques tend to be placed, will not be removed. Will Boyd-Wallace The National Trust for Scotland The NTS do not have a policy per se on memorials. However, we have a Wild Land Policy, which states: "The general principle of management is to avoid any reduction in wild land quality". "Recent human artefacts" are listed in the policy as detractors of wild land quality, hence, in areas of wild land, it could safely be stated that NTS is not in favour of erecting memorials. At Glencoe, for example, if a new memorial is found in the hills, then this will be removed, after contacting the 'owner'. If the 'owner' is unknown, then a letter is left by the memorial explaining what action will be undertaken. Effort is made to suggest to families to remember family or friends by donating to the conservation of the property, or funding the planting of a tree in one of the woodland areas. James Fenton The Nevis Partnership This excerpt from the Nevis strategy outlines the partnerships position: Section C1,b As the UK's highest mountain and a tourist icon, Ben Nevis should be cared for in an exemplary manner.  There are major issues of degradation of the summit and high plateau, including litter, fouling, cairns and memorials.  Also, the observatory ruins are un- cared for and attract wastes and litter. Fouling and gas cylinders around the CIC hut cause concern.  Ben Nevis presents exceptional circumstances, with many tourists, the highly publicized path, extreme weather conditions, etc, contributing to accidents. The Ben requires some safety provision (eg emergency shelter, way marking cairns), but that these should be kept to a minimum.' Proposal: Consolidation of the observatory ruins and removal of non-essential cairns, memorials and other artifacts. The full strategy can be downloaded at www.nevispartnership.co.uk. Jonathan Hart (Partnership Manager) Whats Your View? Our Access and Conservation Officer has written about the plans to erect a statue to commemorate Norman Collie and John Mackenzie, famous mountaineers who were instrumental in the mountaineering development of the spectacular Cuillin on the Isle of Skye on page 46 Mike explains the general stance of the MCofS on this issue. The Talking Point article has been posted on the Pitch-in pages of the MCofS website, with Mike's report, and we are looking for your comments on this sensitive issue. Are memorials no more than unacceptable litter? Do you feel differently towards a plastic or make-shift memorial and a substantial piece of art?

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