You can’t miss the Eagle boulder, it’s the first boulder to greet you every time you arrive at Dumby. I’d never really thought about or heard any reason for it being called the Eagle boulder but I got an interesting email today…

“My name is Brian Crichton, and I live in Penryn Cornwall, I recently lost my Father, and as I was doing research for a book about his life I happened accross your site and thought you might be interested in a story he told me about himself as a boy.

In 1936 my father Colin scaled the rock and using a length of rope pulled up tin’s of paint and brushes and painted a Golden Eagle on the top. He was only16 at the time. The Eagle was refreshed in 1979 by Colin’s nephew Billy Wilson and some friend’s.”

Since I wasn’t born when the Eagle was re-painted and have only really been climbing at Dumbarton for 4 years I’ve no idea really where this Eagle was painted. On the slab, facing the Clyde, there is still the faint remains of a Lion Rampant that was painted at some point too which I also know very little about. Maybe this replaced the Eagle at some point, or maybe the Eagle has just completely vanished due to over 30 years for weathering by the Scottish elements. I’d be interested to find out more  if anyone knows any more about it.

It would be nice if the Eagle returned to Dumby one day…