Dinnie Stones facts for kids
The Dinnie Stones (also called Stanes or Steens) are a pair of Scottish lifting stones located in Potarch, Aberdeenshire. They were made famous by strongman Donald Dinnie, who reportedly carried the stones barehanded across the width of the Potarch Bridge, a distance of 205+1⁄2 in (17 ft 1+1⁄2 in; 5.22 m), in 1860. They remain in use as lifting stones.
The stones are composed of granite, with iron rings affixed. They have a combined weight of 332.49 kg (733 lb 0 oz), with the larger stone weighing 188.02 kg (414 lb 8 oz) and the smaller stone weighing 144.47 kg (318 lb 8 oz).
The stones were reportedly selected in the 1830s as counterweights for use in maintaining the Potarch Bridge. They were lost following World War I, but were rediscovered in 1953 by David P. Webster.
Replicas of the Dinnie Stones have been used in international competition.
Records
As of June 2019[update], 106 individuals have managed to lift the stones, including four women. Jan Todd in 1979 and Leigh Holland-Keen in 2018 were both assisted with weightlifting straps. On 19 January 2019, Emmajane Smith lifted the stones without straps, making her the first woman to do so. On 10 June 2019, Annika Eilmann from Finland became the first woman who has successfully fully lifted and held the stones for over ten seconds in an unassisted manner.
The current record for holding the stones up unassisted is 46.30 seconds, set on 18 May 2019 by Mark Haydock of Lancashire, England. Five individuals, all men, have been recorded as matching Dinnie's carrying feat, including his father.
The current record for carrying the stones in a "farmers walk" style is held by Brian Shaw of the US, a four-time World's Strongest Man, who carried the stones 11 ft 6+1⁄2 in (3.52 m). This was achieved on the 18 April 2019 and featured in the History Channel show The Strongest Man in History.
