Save Bennybeg: Re-Bolt Scotland's Favourite Sport

Aim

Bennybeg's 25yr-old bolts are reaching the end of their lives. Help us re-bolt Scotland's favourite sport climbing crag.

Who are we?

We're the climbers of Bennybeg. A small team of climbers and experienced bolters, led by climbers Robert MacKenzie and Malcolm Airey, and we want to give something back.

One of Scotland's best-loved sport climbing crags, Bennybeg has been the training ground for hundreds of new climbers over the years, and it's just as popular with experienced climbers looking for a relaxed, sociable day on the rock. If you've ever climbed outdoors in Scotland, there's a good chance Bennybeg was part of your journey.

We are currently running a public consultation to gauge community interest, and at the time of releasing this, we have 170 responses with over 94% support for the project.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Bennybeg's bolts are getting old and are quietly running out of time. Many of the original bolts are around 25 years old, and a lot of them are showing significant corrosion and discolouration. Even some of the newer bolts already show real wear. These bolts are reaching the end of their safe working life, and that's a serious safety issue for everyone who climbs here, and that's not something we can ignore.

We're crowdfunding to replace all ~200 bolts across the entire crag with new, high corrosion-resistant glue-in bolts and hangers, fitted using top-quality epoxy resin, giving Bennybeg a full, proper re-bolt that will last 30-40 years rather than a patch-up job.

How we’ll spend the money raised

We're aiming to raise £1,500 on Crowdfunder. Here's the breakdown:

• New Lappas High Corrosion-Resistant Stainless Steel glue-in bolts and hangers (x200)
• High-quality epoxy resin from Titan Climbing
• Glue guns and nozzle tips
• Specialist tools required for installation

Every penny goes directly into materials and equipment for the re-bolt, there's no overhead here, just bolts going into rock.

The total project will cost ~£2,500, and we're also hoping to applying for funding from the Scottish Mountaineering Trust and others. Every pound raised here strengthens that case by showing the strength of community support behind this project.

In the event we get more donations than required, we will look at investing the extra funding into maintaining other popular sport crags with a similar broad range of grades for beginners/kids.

Community impact

Bennybeg isn't just a crag, it's Scotland's go-to venue for learning to sport climb, and a firm favourite for a chilled-out day out with friends. It brings together beginners taking their first steps outdoors and experienced climbers after an easy evening session, and it's a genuine community hub for climbers across the country.

Re-bolting Bennybeg properly means protecting this venue, and everyone who climbs here, for the next 30 to 40 years. It's an investment in the future of Scottish climbing, not just a repair job.

How you can play your part

There are three simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the Scotland climbers to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Fundraise for us. Maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Just a fun idea!

Why these materials?

1. We will be replacing all the Lower-Offs with Lappas High Corrosion-Resistant rings. The reason for this is that wear over time is spread around the ring, compared to carabiners focusing the wear to one point, and they will last significantly longer given the heavy use these lower-offs see. The rings are also easy to replace when needed without a rebolt. 

2. We are going for a full rebolt, and not just the worst looking bolts for a couple of reasons:

• Some of the bolts are original and 25 years old, and have reached the end of their recommended lifespan. We don't know for sure which ones are at this age and which may have be younger. It's therefor our thinking that resetting every bolt back to a known age is a good plan. 
• Some of the Lower-Offs were replaced recently (3 years ago), but due to heavy use many of these are already worn to the point of needing replaced.  

3. We will be using High Corrosion Resistant (HCR) Stainless Steel glue-ins that will last 30-40 years. Glue-ins are superior to expansion bolts here, as this was an old quarry so Epoxy Resin will avoid the outward forces in the holes which have previously cracked the blocky nature of the rock, leading to some loose expansion bolts. Also it won't let any water in the hole to cause corrosion unlike expansion bolts. As we are nowhere near a coastal area, there is no need for Titanium which is 3-4 times the cost of HCR Stainless Steel. 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 9th October 2026 at 11:57am