A balanced argument: should stacked stones be left or returned to nature?

Tuesday 09 August 2022

A debate is piling up in Jersey’s north-west about the permanence of stacked stones.

Over the past few years, islanders have build towers along a wall at L’Etacq, close to the German bunker which now operates as a vivier for Faulkner Fisheries.

The pursuit – advocated by ancient mystics as well as fictional characters from children’s television – became especially popular during lockdown, when families would stop at L’Etacq to balance stones and create patterns with pebbles and shells.

The practice of stone-stacking has long been the subject of a debate but the issue has arisen recently in Jersey after the towers were all cleared. 

L’Etacq resident Chris Lamy told Express that he had cleared the wall several times, which was purely down to safety reasons.

Pictured: Stone-stacking became particularly popular during lockdown. (Bev Michel)

“Some of them are quite high and right on the edge; if they toppled onto a child, it could be quite serious,” he said.

“It has become a bit of a thing down there in recent years to stack stones but I’m not out to spoil anyone’s fun; it is just to keep people safe.”

The clearing of the stones was discussed online recently by residents of St. Ouen.

One said: “We all know that they will soon fall down, but it is a shame that some people want to get rid of them. If it is a danger, then it is up to the authorities to do something about it.

Another contributor said: “Why destroy something that looks so pretty - kind of at one with nature. My grandchildren will be so upset not to see it there anymore.”

However, one resident offered an alternative point of view: “For some people - including me - stone stacking is very much at odds with the first rule for humans exploring the wild - leave no trace.

“I don’t mind the stacks getting made so long as they don’t stay. They may well be art but in a medium that isn’t intended to last once you leave.”

The issue is not unique to Jersey. The founder of marine charity The Blue Planet Society was criticised for arguing that stone-stacking he had encountered in Orkney “ruined the scenery and the environment”.

John Hourston told the BBC: "If we educated people to understand the philosophy [of leaving no trace], I think then people would have second thoughts about making a personal statement with a rock stack."

The compromise suggested by environmentalists, including Mr Hourston, is to stack stones below the high-tide mark so they are naturally deconstructed.