UKH

Planning an assault on Hoy in a couple of weeks - just wanted to check the likelihood of meeting fulmars?

High. Including fledglings. 

Thanks!

They dont run out of the stuff, you get about half a second or so to watch them start wretching. Make the most of that time is my advice. I've tried waiting it out, and it didnt work. 
Another trick is to "forget" your own jacket/ layer. Then borrow your mates spare. Try not to smile when you give it back....

One final note, it tastes really bad! Try not to put your gear in your mouth after passing fulmars.

But you knew most of that already I'm sure.

Enjoy the Old man, the Fulmars werent as prolific as I'd expected when we climbed it.

Thanks for the tips, I'll take some old clothes to climb in - I've got an old shell that's starting to delaminate that'll be perfect.

I'm still yet to meet a fulmar, there were none when I climbed Stoer a few years ago.

I climbed the Old Man at a similar time a few years ago. There were plenty of fulmars, some youngsters, but not so many that it was a problem. It also seemed that they would make a lot of noise but not attack unless you got very close. We managed to stay about 10 feet away the whole time which seemed to be out of their range and we never got attacked. The bonxies on the walk over were more of a problem.

Bonxies?

Edit: just watched a YouTube video of them attacking! 

Thanks for the heads up!

Re Bonxies- they go for the highest point. Take a walking pole and either hold it or rig it so that it sticks up. They’ll go for the stick, not your head. 

Roger that, thanks!

You should be ok on the original route on the Old Man. It gets climbed so often during the summer that the fulmars get put off nesting on the line. Obviously this is no guarantee and I'm sure people have been annointed by god's finest creatures on the original route.

If you are staying for longer and looking for more to climb, check out my supplement to recent climbs:

https://edwardnind.wixsite.com/orcadianclimbing 

Nice1, I'll have a look at that!

I made it up and down without getting vomited on, however most of the other people on the route were less fortunate. Saw plenty of bonxies but they weren't an issue.

Excellent work.