Alec Burns

On The Figurehead

Bob Smith

Bob Smith

Blakey’s Bloc —A Bouldering

Guide

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A series of downloadable PDF guides to new bouldering venues , problems, highballs and routes in Northumberland. Including:

The Stell Whiteheugh Raven’s Crag

Caller Crag , Corby’s and Edlingham Greensheen Hill Parkside Wood

The Maiden Chambers Area St Cuthbert’s Cave The Bowden Area

Greensheen The Wanneys Group Beanly Moor and Hunterheugh Blakey’s Block

Cockenheugh Kyloe Out Rothley

The Ravensheugh Area A 2 Z Banno Crags

Titlington and the Turban South Yardhope Brady’s Crag

Granny Crag Coquet View Shitlington

Lookwide Howlerhirst High Crag

NMC Northumbrian

Mountaineering

Club

Introduction... ...Northumberland Bouldering

TECHNICAL NOTES

The location of each crag is indicated by its Grid Reference.

Maps

The County is covered by six Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps. Sheets 74 (Kelso), 75 (Berwick upon Tweed), 80 (The Cheviot Hills), 81 (Alnwick and Rothbury), 87 (Hexham and Haltwhistle) and 88 (Tyneside). The majority of the crags lie on sheets 75 and 81.

General

On occasion the problems are referenced to routes that are not described in the climbing guide, or in the second edition bouldering guide. These are highlighted in blue italics. You may need these guides or to ask a local climber help you locate the problems.

Sit Starts

Most problems are written up as standing starts off one mat only! Generally sit starts are added at the end of a description where they add either to the difficulty, or quality . Rarely will a sit start be separately named.

Rules

It has long been understood in Northumberland that if a twig is found on a ‘good’ foothold, then the foothold id out of bounds. The same applies to bedding planes , ledges and foothold in contact with the ground. Usually these are out of bounds. The previous guide wisely suggested that if you are wondering if the foothold is in, then it probably is not!

Further Information

The NMC website has a variety of resources relating to climbing in the County. If you have this PDF you’ve probably found it already. Otherwise go to: www.thenmc.org.uk

New Problems

Descriptions of new problems and routes should be sent to newroutes @thenmc.org.uk. A descrip-tion, grade, date and name of first ascentionist should be included. A photo with a line marking the route would also help.

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Bob Smith

Greensheen Slopers Traverse

Greensheen Hill

Photo: Steve Blake

BOULDERING GRADES

It is true to say that there are only two grades, the problems and routes you can do, and those you can’t. To the keen boulderer however it soon becomes apparent that this can be sub divided into the problems you can do and your mates can’t, and vice versa! Grading boulder problems (and some routes) is an almost impossible task. The table below is a rough comparison of the common systems in use. Visitors to the County will probably find that until they get used to the style of the problems and the intricacies of climbing on the County’s various Sandstones that the accuracy of the table will be questionable. Grades are an art rather than a science, and while difficulty is central to bouldering , it is easily confused with quality. The pursuit of which is an equally rewarding endeavour.

The various grading systems are well understood, and like grades are an ongoing source of debate regarding their respective mer-its.

In these PDF guides we have retained the Font grades introduced in the last guidebook and their use is now established and un-derstood.

Highballs

The height of many crags in the County lends them to a highball approach. Mats can reduce the consequences when highballing goes wrong, but there comes a point when they look very small. Many of these ‘problems’ would have been considered small routes not long back, (though some in this new series are not so small) and occasionally are compounded with bad landings. Fall-ing off them should not be treated casually. While it should be self evident those that fall into this category get an (H) symbol indicating the potential Highball, Helicopter and Hospital factor. Be careful!

FONT UK TECH V GRADE

3 4c VB

4 5a

V0

4+ 5b

5 V1

5+ 5c

6a V2

6a+ 6a V3

6b

6b+ V4

6c

6c+

6b V5

7a V6

7a+ 6c V7

7b

7b+ V8

7c V9

7c+ V10

8a 7a V11

8a+ V12

8b 7b V13

8b V14

Steve Blake

Shitlington Wall

Shitlington

Photo: Alec Burns

Introduction... ...Northumberland Bouldering

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SUSTAINABILITY

The quality and durability of Sandstone in North-umberland varies significantly both on and be-tween crags. Iron hard rock with a case hard-ened patina can coexist with a super soft cheesy substance soft enough to be shaped by hand. Sadly there is much evidence that the tough pati-na when worn away reveals a soft inner that rap-idly erodes. There are many examples, but Vien-na at Bowden Doors is probably the most famous example, which in it’s current deplorable state is a much easier and sad shadow of the original .

Over the last thirty years the popularity of Rock Climbing and Bouldering has accelerated and there is much similar evidence of our impact on the crags. Routes and problems on Sandstone, especially that which can be as fragile as ours are a finite resource and need careful and sensitive protection if they are to survive.

It is worth repeating that you should not climb on sandstone when there is any evidence of damp-ness. The rock loses it’s bonding when damp and is susceptible to accelerated erosion and break-age. Once a break occurs, or the outer patina is penetrated then the effects of erosion are expo-nential.

Many magnificent routes in Northumberland have es-caped significant damage, principally because the habit of top roping hard routes has not been adopted as readily as elsewhere. Bouldering however, is a particu-larly intensive game which can see a team cycling through repeated attempts on a problem, brushing and ragging between each effort. The impact of this can be seen on relatively recent problems on which holds are already bleaching out., and this is on rock thought of as hard.

What can we do to minimise this impact? Everyone should acknowledge and understand the fragility of the medium and learn to walk away if there is suggestion the rock is not in condition. Set yourself a realistic number of attempts at a problem, if you can’t do it, leave it until you can do it without beating it into sub-mission. We need to have enough humility to under-stand that the rock’s needs are more important than ours. Learn to walk away.

Vienna

Bowden Doors

David Murray

On Barnaby Rudge

Alec Burn collection

Introduction... ...Northumberland Bouldering

LOCATION AND CHARACTER

The block is part of a small crag (Linnlaw Crag) that sit’s just outside the main Rothley group, Approxi-

mately 500m to the South East of the Castle.

The block will be found at the South end of the crag. Note that the bloc, unlike the main crag, is not on

access land, and is close to both Rothley farm, and a new build house. Thus far there have been no ac-

cess issues but a discrete approach is recommended. Under no circumstances should an exit south over

the wall be taken. This will likely damage the wall and is in view of the House.

The bloc is a small but outstanding piece of gritstone, and very sheltered by the adjacent trees. The

problems are all good and vary in style from powerful to pumpy. It is definitely worth a visit.

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Steve Blake

On The Joker

Approach

The overall approach is the same as for the main crag, which is 22 miles North West of Newcastle. Take

the A696 North out of Newcastle and turn off following signs for Bolam Lake, you will eventually pass

the lake on your right (Passing the access road for Shaftoe on your left.) Continue for a further three

miles to a T junction. Turn Left and on entering Scot’s Gap, turn immediately right. Continue for a fur-

ther 1.5 miles to the first parking area, at the start of the crag . This is a shallow pullout on the left with

space for a couple of cars., but this is on a dangerous bend just before after the brow of a hill. Better

and safer parking is found at the crossroads a further 3/4 of a mile North.

Under no circumstances park on the road adjacent to the crag, the road is narrow and frequented by

large farm vehicles.

To get to the bloc, follow the public footpath that exits the access land on it’s Southern boundary. Fol-

low this and where it bends to the right the start of the crag will be seen through the trees ahead, con-

tinue on the footpath for a further 70m before striking out across to the crag. Follow the foot of this

rightwards to the bloc.

The crag appears on the OS 1:25000 series map OL42

Crag Overview

N

Scots’ Gap B6343 to Morpeth

Location Data

Parking Lat Long:

WGS 84 55.191094 –1.937499

Parking GR: NZ 043896

A696 to Otterburn

Rothley

P

Cambo

Belsay

Shaftoe

Blakey’s Bloc

Bolam Lake

Main Crag

N

Location Data

Crag Lat Long: WGS 84

55.187297 –1.930375

Crag GR: NZ 045881

Crag Detail

Folly

Blakey’s Bloc

Wall

Rothley

History

The crag was first discovered by Bob and Tommy Smith, who added it to their list of things for the fu-

ture. It was then discovered by Steve Blake who worked out the excellent Giraffe in a Cup, and gradually

extended the traverse, Bob Smith added the Sand Lizard, and Chris Graham added the very eliminate

arête problem.

Crag Overview

Blakey’s Bloc... ...Northumberland Bouldering

5 6

Steve Blake

On The Joker

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1. Giraffe in a Cup 7b SB.

This packs in a lot of grunt for such a short problem—Superb! Sit strat with hands on the large hold at the base of the arête.

Figure out how to layaway up the blunt arête and off you go!

2. Persistence 6c+ SB.

Sit start under the shallow groove in the face. Heel hooks and slopers get you into the depression and the top.

3. The Groove 5+ SB.

Sit start, pull into the groove and the top.

4. The Legionnaire 6c BS.

Sit start on the pedestal at the right hand end of the roof. Pull out over the lip, traverse left to the arête, make an awkward

mantle and follow it to the top.

5. Gladiator 7a BS.

Sit start at the pedestal, pull out and continue up the wall on small crimps and flakes.

6. Chris’s Line 7b? CG.

From the pedestal, pull out further right, use the arête for the right hand and the crimps on Gladiator for the left.

7. The Centurion 7a SB.

Sit start under the crack on the right, up this to the horizontal seam, finger along this to the arête, and up.

8. The Collisuem SB 7a+ SB.

The lip girdle. Sitstart at the left hand side, as for Giraffe, and following the line of slopers, heel hooks and edges, end up

reversing the Centurion’s finger rail. An awesome traverse.

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