Mark Felix: Dinnie Stones ‘one of toughest challenges ever’

Donald Dinnie fell into Aberdeenshire legend when he when he walked the width of Potarch Bridge, just east of Aboyne, with the two 775lb boulders in 1860.

And today one of the world’s strongest men came incredibly close to rivalling that feat of strength set by the Birse-born athlete.

World’s Strongest Man competitor, Mark Felix, 48, managed to walk the 15ft distance with the “Dinnie Steens” at the Aboyne Highland Games today – although with a few added stops.

Following the attempt, the Grenada-born athlete said: “It’s one of the toughest challenges I have had to deal with. it was just totally hard, but I finished it and I’m happy.

“It’s the walking, it’s the akward shape of the rock, it’s difficult. The big one is just coming into your legs, it was just a bit difficult to walk.”

Aboyne Highland Games chairman, Ian Scott, said: “You could hear the shouting and the support for Mark when he was trying his attempt on the Dinnie Stones, which unfortunately wasn’t accomplished totally.

“But the tenacity of the man showed through. He did it in stages, and that was a phenomenal effort, and as a consequence we think that he’ll go down in history.”