Northumbrian Mountaineering Club
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
The Wanneys Group
Beanly Moor and Hunterheugh
Blakey’s Block
Cockenheugh
Kyloe Out
Rothley
The Ravensheugh Area
Banno Crags
Titlington and the Turban
South Yardhope
Brady’s Crag
Coquet View
Shitlington
Lookwide
Howlerhirst
High Crag
Black Crag
Hunterheugh
NMC Northumbrian Mountaineering Club
Caller Crag South — A Bouldering Guide
...Northumberland Bouldering
Introduction... TECHNICAL NOTES
BOULDERING GRADES
The location of each crag is indicated by its Grid Reference.
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, 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 FONT UK TECH V GRADE rewarding endeavour. GRADE GRADE
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 occasions 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 . Only rarely will a sit start be separately named.
The various grading systems are well understood, and like grades are an ongoing source of debate regarding their respective merits. In these PDF guides we have retained the Font grades introduced in the last guidebook and their use is now established and understood.
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4c
4
5a V0
4+
Highballs
5 5+
Further Information
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. Falling off them should not be treated casually.
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
Steve Blake
Rules It has long been understood in Northumberland that if a twig is found on a ‘good’ foothold, then the foothold is out of bounds. The same applies to bedding planes , ledges and footholds 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!
Shitlington Wall Shitlington
Bob Smith Greensheen Slopers Traverse Greensheen Hill
Photo: Alec Burns
5b V1 5c
6a 6a+
V2 6a
V3
6b 6b+ 6c
V4 6b
V5
6c+ 7a 7a+
V6 6c
V7
7b 7b+
V8
7c
V9
7c+
V10
8a
7a
8a+ 8b 8b
1
VB
V11 V12
7b
V13 V14
2
Introduction...
...Northumberland Bouldering 3. Be gentle with brushwork, and minimal with your chalk. Climbing indoors, we can brush the holds to our hearts content; outdoors, the effect can be catastrophic.
SUSTAINABILITY The quality and durability of Sandstone in Northumberland varies significantly both on and between crags. Iron hard rock with a case hardened patina can coexist with a super soft cheesy substance soft enough to be shaped by hand. Sadly there is much evidence that the tough patina when worn away reveals a soft inner that rapidly erodes. There are many examples, but Vienna at Bowden Doors is probably the most famous example, which in its current deplorable state is a much easier and sad shadow of the original .
4. Poor footwork also impacts, so clean your shoes before you begin an attempt. Modern shoes allow a huge amount of force to be exerted through the feet, e.g. twisting on smears has a grinding effect that speeds up erosion. Be aware, use good footwork and tread lightly. 5. Don’t use the problems for training. Running laps may look cool, but do it indoors on plastic, not on the rock. 6. Take your junk home, don’t light fires, don’t leave gates open. If you must, learn how to shit in the woods. Do not be generally antisocial.
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 on fragile and well-used Sandstone, 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 dampness. The rock becomes significantly weaker losing its bonding when damp, and is susceptible to accelerated erosion and breakage. Once a break occurs, or the outer patina is penetrated, then the effects of erosion are exponential.
David Murray On Barnaby Rudge The Good Book Section, The Stell. Alec Burns collection
Vienna Bowden Doors
Many magnificent routes in Northumberland have escaped significant damage, principally because the habit of top roping hard routes has not been adopted as readily as elsewhere. Bouldering however, is a particularly 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. We are the stewards of these places. There are many things we can do to minimise our direct impact on them: 1. Everyone should acknowledge and understand the fragility of the medium, and learn to walk away if there is any suggestion of dampness and the rock is not in condition.
2. 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 submission. We need to have enough humility to understand that the rock’s needs are more important than our egos. Learn to walk away and come back when you’re capable.
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4
Caller Crag
OS Map Sheets: 81 (1:50,000), 332 (1:25000) GR NU114 068
Right of Access Under CROW
A1
Hunterheugh
Aspect: West Facing Approach: 20 Minutes
Crag Overview
Beanly Moor
Altitude: 223m
N
Titlington
LOCATION AND CHARACTER
Alnwick
Clearly visible from the B6341, the crag is located on Edlingham Moor, between the lower lying Edlingham and Redheugh crags. The crag is approximately 2O0m long and faces West. It catches the afternoon and evening sun in the Summer. It is exposed and does carry drainage and is slow to dry after prolonged rain. Any Westerly wind will be felt, and there is little shelter.
A697
41 B63
Oxen Wood
Corby’s
The crag is on Access Land and climbers have a right of access to the crags. There are no indications that the land is used for anything other than sheep rearing and no closures have ever been noted. These would have to be agreed by Natural England and posted on the Access Land web site. This can be found at www.openaccess.naturalengland.org.uk.
P
Edlingham Redheugh Parking Location
The diagrams opposite should be sufficient to get the newcomer to the area to the crag. Since before the last bouldering guide was published climbers have been walking past Caller Crag, dismissing it as a venue because of the softness of the rock. However the liberal use of masonry stabiliser has transformed the rock and holds on the established problems, which rank amongst the best in the county at the grade.
Parking Lat Long: 55.36007 –1.827099 Parking GR: NU 1106073
Caller Crag Tim Blake The Stell
The Unpalatable Cleft
1 34 B6
A1
Steve Blake Collection
However the problems will need monitoring, and as the venue gets the attention it deserves repeated applications of stabiliser will probably be required. Only time will tell. Approach
Crag Detail
Crag Location Crag Lat Long: 55.330528 –1.899919
N
Crag GR: NU 114 068
P
341 B6
Edlingham
Redheugh
Caller Crag There is parking for several cars by the second gate, just before the start of the Edlingham Plantation. Pleas do not block the gate. Follow the Bridleway/track to the right of the plantation, This crests several small escarpments. The crag comes into view about 15 minutes from the car. There are several indistinct tracts to the crag. The best takes you to the centre of the Southern group.
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6
Caller Crag ...
…...South
Cowboy Up!
Caller Crag ...
...The Beautiful South
The Brain
The Medici N
The Rune Stone
S
The Warm Up
Poets Corner
Rictus Smile
The Sarsen
When the escarpment is crested the crag is apparent in front of the viewer. The guide is split into two parts; Northern and Southern sections. The best of the feint trails lead across the moor to the Sarsen area and a path leads North under the crag to the Northernmost section of Rictus
The Megalith
The Beautiful South
The Warm Up Bloc 2.
The Solstice. 6b (ish) JE? Pull up the Southerly overhanging wall of the bloc to an awkward exit.
3. The Equinox. 5+ (ish) JE? . A rising traverse up the obvious rails on the front of the face. The featured nature of the wall means eliminates, some harder, some easier, abound. History Despite occasional visits the crag was not developed in any detail until 2008 when Bob Smith and Steve Blake established the majority of the existing problems. Their success was in no small part due to the extensive use of stabliser, the soft rounded features of the crag are suited , and respond well to the use of stabliser.
The Warm Up Bloc
Notably Karl Telfer explored the crag back in the day and recorded several routes, the most difficult being Touch and Go. It’s possible some of the new problems/routes were climbed by him but not recorded. A number of unclimbed lines remain, some are very obvious, some very high, others less so.
1. The Beautiful South . 6b+/7a. SB The most Southerly problem. A ‘sloper traverse’, the difficulty depending on what you eliminate for your feet.
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1 3
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8
Caller Crag ...
...The Slippe ry Pump
Caller Crag ...
...The Rune Area
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4
4. The Slippery Pump . 7a/ 7a+. BS. Behind and above the warm up block is a low undercut wall with a tenuous sloper traverse.
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6
Sit start on a prominent sloper on the right hand side of the recess, follow the low holds left to a difficult move up and an equally difficult exit. 5. The Blood Gutter. 6b. SB. The right hand side of the Sarsen is cut by a wide, twisting slot. This problem climbs the scoop in the steepening wall.
6. A303. 6b+. SB. as low as possible.
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A delicate foot traverse of the short wall/slab in front of The Blood Gutter. Keep your feet
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Caller Crag ...
...The R une Wall 7.
Caller Crag ...
...The Megalith - Audrey Hepburn
Sarsen Wall. 6b+/6c? SB.
Sit Start at the flake at the base of the rib. Pull up to the break and use the rurgosity to stand on it. Traverse left and finish up the left hand rib. (The nodule used to achieve a standing position is extremely unlikely to take any force applied through a shoe, (you can pull on them, but when stood on they fracture — please resist the temptation to finish direct………)
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8.
The Trilithon. 6b. SB.
Sit start, left to right and vice versa.
11 10
9. The Rune Rib. 6a. SB.
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7
Straight up the rib finishing via the blunt flake.
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The Audrey Hepburn Wall David Murray Audrey Hepburn Photo Steve Blake
Audrey Hepburn. This was one of the (very) obvious lines scoped out by Bob and Steve. Bob staked his claim to it early on and stabilised the bottom holds, but was unable to connect the flake from the undercut, it was then handed over to Steve to see if he could get anywhere…. ‘Bob had given up, (a rare occurrence) and suggested I have a look, we swapped our mats out and Bob wandered off to try something else. I had a look at the bottom, which looked pretty hard, and wandered to the top to check the finish out. I was able to convince myself that once in the flake , the finish wouldn’t be a problem. So I went back to the base and started trying to link the flake from the undercut hold. I was getting very close, but found my right foot kept skipping off the non existent smear, but I persisted. Eventually the foot stuck and breathing carefully I ‘pianoed’ my fingertips onto the flake until I had enough purchase to lever up and get my feet onto proper footholds. The moves up the flake and into the cleft were easy (It was in the bag). I had however, climbed away from my mat , and was now some distance above a large, nasty, rock step. This wouldn’t have been a problem, but I couldn’t, (as I’d thought) reach the finish from my wedged position and was too large to squirm up the cleft and reach the top. Secure where I was I decided to wait for Bob to return, move the mat and provide a spot. Of course, he didn’t come back and I was eventually compelled to move by a threatening cramp in my right calf. I sorted my self out, crossed my fingers and shifted out the cleft . Hugging the rib I found a poor foothold and after a little adjustment was very relieved to pull over. It may be the slowest onsight FA of a problem in the County, I was up there for at least 45 minutes! That said it’s a fantastic problem. The line is elegant, the climbing difficult and it’s high enough for a good head to count.’
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10. Audrey Hepburn. 7a/7a+. SB. Very Elegant…. But quite morpho, the difficulties (though not the excitement) are short lived . The blind crack and incipient flake are connected by a long reach and some tricky footwork. The flake is laybacked to the security of the cleft and an interesting exit. 11. Touch and Go. 6b+/6c. KT. One of three routes established on the crag by Karl Telfer, back in the day. Prior to stabilisation this would have been a very tricky proposition— it’s still hard now. E2 6a in old money…. 12. The Unpalatable Cleft. 6c/7a. SB. To the left of Touch and Go is a large rounded flake, just out of reach. Either sit start at the base of the David Murray curving under -cut to reach a standing posiAudrey Hepburn tion, or stand and use Photo Steve Blake poor slopers to reach the base of the flake. Swim up this to a junction with Touch and Go.
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Caller Crag ...
The Sarcen ...A Deficit of F unk
Caller Crag ...
...A Defi cit of Funk To the left of The Unplatable Cleft a gully is formed between the crag and the blunt pinnacle to the left. The overhung gully wall of the pinnacle is home to the magnificent ‘A Deficit of Funk’. 13. A Deficit of Funk. 7a/7a+/7b? SB. The right hand side of the pinnacle has two thin bottomless cracks, clamp these and using a smear pop left to the cleft. Switch sides and move up this to the ledge and an awkward (and justifiably spooky) top out.
David Murray A Deficit of Funk Steve Blake Collection
If the top out is too much, it is possible, and easier, to shuffle leftwards along the ledge……. 13a. Sit Start . At the depression just left of the arête. Pull up and diagonally left to reach the thin cracks
A Deficit of Funk Bob and I had stood looking at this beautiful wall on most of our visits, and we had discounted it as being just too hard for us, which was very frustrating as it’s such a stunning feature. (Bob later let slip that he and Peter Kirton had scoped it out ‘way back in the day ‘ with no success). Anyhow the evening I went up and did the sit start to ‘The Unpalatable Cleft’ , I wandered into the gully to examine it yet again. Running my right hand high into the thin crack I found a slight edge, then at a stretch I found a vertical crimp high in the left crack. The angles were just right for me, and suddenly it was on. Careful examination of the wall revealed a smear . A hop combined with a big compression got me on the wall and in a position to pop left to the cleft. An elegant crossover followed and I found myself on the sloping ledge, just short of the finishing holds. I’d only brought one mat and the prospect of fluffing the finish and tumbling into the gully persuaded me to judiciously traverse off to the left. (Itself quite delicate.) I returned the next day with two mats and cleaned and scoped out the finish. Exiting from the ledge was no less scary, and no less elegant than I thought it would be, but at least the back wall of the gully wasn’t quite as threatening. 13a
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13
The remarkable thing about Caller is that the nature of the rock has created these stunning highballs. It’s particularly satisfying to do something that you had written off as too hard. I have to say I was a little disappointed to see David Murray , and my son Tim make short work of the start, David did a great job in finishing it off. I was able to protect my pride somewhat by putting a parental veto on Tim topping out. That’s youths for you!
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Caller Crag ...
...The S arcen Area
Caller Crag ...
… The S arcen Area
The back of the Sarcen has several worthwhile and difficult problems. 14.
Indian Summer. 7a/7a+. SB
The leaning blunt arête right of Deficit of Funk. Some small nodules combine with some cunning heel work to see the successful reach the slab above. 15.
Bob’s Wall. 6b+6c? BS .
The steep slabby wall to the right of the arête is climbed on slopers and ironstone nodules. 16.
The Waterboy. 6b+/6c. SB.
Opposite the arête is an obvious water worn runnel. Step up and mantle into the wider part. Martin Waugh Indian Summer Steve Blake Collection
17.
The Back Wall. 5+ ?
Directly behind the Sarcen is a small scooped wall….. 16
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14
13 13a
17
15
16
Caller Crag ...
...The S arcen Area
Caller Crag ...
… The S arcen Area
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1917
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20
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19 . Power Struggle. 6b+. BS. Bob Smith Bob’s Wall Steve Blake Collection
From a low start in the depression in the left of the scooped wall, pull out right then back left. 20. Quick Fix. 6b. BS. Sit start, up the crack.
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18. Old Labour. 6b/6b+. BS. It trends to the Left. Work you way diagonally left to almost join Bob’s Wall.
21. The Quarter Crack. 6b+. BS. Sit Start. After a difficult initial pull, lurch left and finish on the ripples above.
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Caller Crag ...
‌ The Brain
Caller Crag ...
...The Brain
Ian Murray The Brain Steve Blake Collection
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Tim Blake
22. The Brain. 6c. SB.
The Brain
Climb the textured slab via some clever footwork and mantles.
Steve Blake Collection
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