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River Clyde, Dumbarton Rock
Graffiti(S) (21st Century), Graffiti(S) (20th Century), Natural Feature(S) (21st Century)
Site Name River Clyde, Dumbarton Rock
Classification Graffiti(S) (21st Century), Graffiti(S) (20th Century), Natural Feature(S) (21st Century)
Alternative Name(s) Dumby
Canmore ID 350799
Site Number NS37SE 81
NGR NS 39905 74565
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/350799
- Council West Dunbartonshire
- Parish Dumbarton
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Dumbarton
- Former County Dunbartonshire
Field Visit (10 July 2014)
One of the boulders, known as ‘Pongo’ has a quote from a speech by John Macpherson, a crofter from Skye in the 1880s, painted on an overhanging side. The quote reads,
IT WOULD
BE AS EASY TO STOP
THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AS TO
STOP THE PRESENT AGITATION
UNTIL JUSTICE HAS BEEN
DONE TO THE PEOPLE
BAM-BAM
The quote was painted on the boulder during the 1979 Scottish referendum.
Visited by RCAHMS (AGCH) 10 July 2014.
Field Visit (8 May 2014 - 10 July 2014)
There is a gathering of very large boulders at the foot of the NW edge of Dumbarton Rock which, together with an overhanging crag above, is used by rock-climbers for both bouldering and climbing. A route up the overhanging crag or headwall, named ‘Rhapsody’, was established in 2006 by Dave McLeod, one of the foremost rock-climbers in Britain. Categorised as E11 (7a), it was considered to be one of the hardest if not actually the most difficult, climbing routes in Britain, at the time.
Each boulder is individually named and they have multiple routes (also know as 'problems') over them. Similarly there are both sport and traditional climbing routes up the main crag. Websites and guidebooks provide guidance for the climbers (see: http://dumby.info/sport.htm , accessed 26 May 2016).
In 2013-15 Project ACCORD, an AHRC-funded project, lead by Glasgow School of Art, Digital Design Studio, with contributions from RCAHMS, Archaeology Scotland and the University of Manchester, undertook research with climbers to record aspects of the climbing heritage at Dumbarton Rock, usually referred to by the climbers as ‘Dumby’. The project included recording the entire crag and some of the boulders with a laser scanner and applying 3D recording techniques to survey specific aspects of the boulders. https://storify.com/V_Maxwell/dumby-goes-3d-accord-project-at-dumbarton-rock and http://www.gsa.ac.uk/research/research-centres/digital-design-studio/research/current-projects/accord/ , accessed 26 May 2016,
Visited by RCAHMS (AGCH) 10 July 2014.
Field Visit (19 October 2015)
There is an outline for a throwie at the foot of the main crag on the N side of Dumbarton Rock. The surface of the rock has been cleaned a number of times in this area, which is obvious from the areas of cleaner brighter rock which provide a contrast with the dark, naturally weathered surfaces.
Visited by HES Survey and Recording (AGCH) 19 October 2015.
