European Stone Stacking Championships in Dunbar a big success

More than 1,500 people visited for the European Stone Stacking Championships over the weekend.

James Craig Page, creator and director of the festival, was pleased to see the international event return to the town after last year’s championships were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Various restrictions were still in place on Saturday and Sunday but Mr Page was pleased to see people attending.

He said: “It went beyond expectations.

“We had an absolutely fantastic weekend. The weather stayed reasonably well until Sunday and Callum Easter performed an amazing gig.

“It was really amazing.”

Festivities took place in Lauderdale Park, as well as at the Eye Cave beach, near Dunbar Leisure Pool.

Mark Antony Haden Ford creates an impressive sculpture ahead of the European Stone Stacking Championships in Dunbar. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Mr Page estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 people had attended the event, with Harry Maddox, from Cornwall, crowned the overall winner.

Victory also opens the door for Mr Maddox to compete at the Llano Earth Art Festival, which takes place in Texas next spring.

Mr Page added: “We just gauged it on the day and we allowed people to come down onto the beach in small numbers and take pictures of the work.

“Everything flowed really well and everybody felt comfortable and relaxed.”

Traditionally, the European Stone Stacking Championships have taken place in April.

This year’s event was pushed back to the summer, with Mr Page, who lives in the town, weighing up whether to make the event a staple of the summer social calendar. He felt that there were benefits, with the longer hours of daylight allowing the artists more time to work on the beaches.

The festival’s creator was also confident that the event would return in 2022 but told the Courier an offer had been made for the championships to take place in Spain, although no decision had been made on the championships’ future location.