AN ANCIENT Scottish tradition once on the brink of disappearing is enjoying a surge in popularity, but enthusiasts have warned the growing interest could put centuries-old lifting stones at risk.
Scottish stone lifting, a practice dating back hundreds of years, has seen a revival in recent years as people from across Scotland and around the world travel to test themselves against historic stones once used by Highland clans.
The practice is as simple as it sounds: It involves men and women attempting to lift heavy stones that have stood in the same spot for generations.
Historically this was done for a variety of reasons.
Some were used as "manhood testing stones", which young men had to lift before being recognised as adults within their clan. Others acted as tests for elite warriors, while so-called "coffin road stones" were lifted during funeral processions to honour the dead.
However, Jamie McGregor, one of the leading figures behind the revival, warned that increasing numbers of visitors have also brought damage to some of the country's most important historic stones.
"The majority of stone lifters are very careful and considerate of the history and the stones," he told The National.
"But there's always one or two that start treating them like gym kit rather than ancient artefacts."
McGregor pointed to the Wallace Putting Stone at Sheriffmuir, believed to be more than 600 years old, which was broken into three pieces after being dropped by a visitor in 2019.
A fundraising campaign later paid for the stone to be restored, but McGregor said it now has to be lifted with "extreme caution and care".
"It was devastating," he said. "We're privileged and honoured to be able to lift these ancient relics. They are artefacts that are still in use and should be treated with the utmost care and respect."
For McGregor – who used to compete in strongman competitions but pivoted to stone lifting due to injury problems – the appeal of stone lifting extends far beyond physical strength.
"When you put your hands on a stone that's been lifted for hundreds of years, you're joining that lineage," he said.
"Your own clan ancestors could have touched that same stone. That's something you'll never get from lifting weights in a gym."
McGregor said the oldest recorded lifting stone on the Scottish mainland is the Fianna Stone in Glen Lyon, whose documented history stretches back around 800 years, although it is widely believed to be even older.
Until little more than a decade ago, only a handful of Scotland's lifting stones were widely known.
Much of the revival has been credited to the late strength historian Peter Martin, whose research uncovered evidence of more than 100 historic lifting stones across Scotland, although only around a third could still be located and lifted.
McGregor said interest remained relatively niche until around 2020, when the sport "just exploded".
"Scotland is regarded by a lot of people as the home of stone lifting," he said.
"Now people are researching lifting traditions all over the world, but Scotland was one of the first places where these historic stones were rediscovered."
The renewed interest has brought visitors from across the globe, with similar revival movements now taking place in countries including Ireland and Wales.
To help protect Scotland's historic stones while keeping them publicly accessible, McGregor and other enthusiasts are exploring new measures, including QR codes at lifting sites explaining etiquette and online guidance for visitors.
He has also helped establish a network of modern lifting stones across Scotland to encourage newcomers to practise without placing unnecessary strain on historic stones.
"The worst thing that could happen is the historic stones being locked away," he said.
"They're part of our history and culture. We want people to experience them, but we have to make sure they're protected for future generations."
