Outer Isles Lewis Sea-Cliffs, Dalbeg Area
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OUTER ISLES LEWIS SEA-CLIFFS, DALBEG AREA: Notes from Blair Fyffe: Blessed are the Weak is definitely E5, agreed by other ascents. Mercury and Solace are only worth a star at most. Neptune is worth 3 stars. BEARASAIGH, Hadrians Wall Area: Step in Time 20m HVS 5b. Paul Headland, Keith Archer. 12 Jun 2009. Start as for Dancing Tiger but after 4m traverse right across a series of small ledges and niches. Last Man Alive 15m Hard Severe 4c. Paul Headland, Keith Archer. 12 Jun 2009. At the right end of the area, climb the broken crack on the right of the coal face slab to a large ledge. From 1m right of the arete climb through a small overlap to the top. The Last Hurrah 16m VS 5a. Keith Archer, Paul Headland. 12 Jun 2009. From the same start as the previous route, gain the large ledge and climb the ramp line to the right to a corner. Climb the short slab above. Lower Hadrians Wall, St Bees Sector: Long Time Passing 18m Hard Severe 4b. Keith Archer, Paul Headland. 12 Jun 2009. Belay at the farthest right end of the platform. Traverse right round the front of the buttress for 5m then follow a rising traverse on to the slab of Cool & Smooth & Curious. Climb the centre of the slab. Lower Hadrians Wall, North Sector: Should Have Known Better 30m VS 5a. Keith Archer, Paul Headland. 10 Jun 2009. Start 2m left of Grass with Everything. Make awkward moves to gain the ledge and from its corner, follow right and crank over the cleft. Follow the initial steep corner to the impending wall. Go over its left end then finish direct. Over The Rooftops 24m Hard Severe 4b. Paul Headland, Keith Archer. 7 Jun 2009. Start as for That Harry Potter Thing but after the initial wall trend leftwards following the left edge of the upper ramp, climbing through a short steep wall on the way. Dr Tourette’s Arete 36m E1 5b **. Paul Headland, Keith Archer. 9 Jun 2009. Start as for the previous route but upon reaching the corner of the large slab on the left, step onto the slab and traverse to its left edge. Climb the sharp left arete to the top. Pictland: Bollokof 17m Severe. Keith Archer, Paul Headland. 7 Jun 2009. From the base of the square-cut corner, climb the crack on the left to a large ledge at half-height. Continue to the right of its centre up the wall above using the right-hand crack. Weatherman’s Geodha: The big geodha in the centre of the eastern side of the island. Access is by abseil (from boulders and back rope) down the big vegetated slabby southern corner. Traverse around the geodha to the base of the big northern ridge with a slabby southern face. Access can also be gained via a 60m abseil down the northern side of the ridge which defines the northern edge of the geodha. Identify a large free-standing flake just below the lip of the cliff; abseil down between this and the cliff to a ledge just above the tide. It is then possible to scramble round to the following routes. Eat your Heart out Mick 55m VS 4b. Keith Archer, Paul Headland. 8 Jun 2009. Located on the northern side of the geodha northern ridge directly below the large free-standing flake. Start from a ledge below a large V-shaped notch just above the tide line. Climb directly up to the large free- standing flake below the lip of the cliff over several short walls. Pete Hussey is a Weatherman 50m Hard Severe. Paul Headland, Keith Archer. 9 Jun 2009. Start from a large flat ledge just above the tide line below a roof and approximately half-way between the corner of the geodha and September Ends. 1. 35m 4b Climb trending leftwards into a crack system and continue up the cracks to a a sharp ledge on the ridge. 2. 15m 4a Continue up the ridge on the south side, through a notch and up the final slab (15m). The Dental Area: To the left of the NHS Sector is a small slab, “the waiting room slab”. This can be accessed by scrambling down the ill-defined stream bed on the south side of Weatherman‟s Geodha past the descent for the NHS Sector onto a slabby area then by descending a short gully to the base of the slab. The Waiting Room Slab: Trepidation 9m VS 4c *. Paul Headland, Keith Archer. 10 Jun 2009. Climb straight up the centre of the short slab, low tide and low swell required. A Place of Enchantment: The south face of the north wall of the large bay opposite Stac an Tuill. Approach: Identify the cairn at the summit of the island. Just north and below this is a flat area of ground on the northern ridge of the large bay opposite Stac an Tuill. Walk out along the narrow ridge to the end and abseil down the left-hand corner to a large ledge at the top of the V-groove (12m). Abseil to the base of the routes from here. Doorway to a Place of Enchantment 45m HVS 5b **. Paul Headland, Keith Archer. 8 Jun 2009. Climb the obvious left-hand corner feature, good sustained climbing. Seen from Space 45m HVS 5a **. Keith Archer, Paul Headland. 9 Jun 2009. Climb the right-hand corner feature until a half-height ledge. Follow the left-hand crack to the top as for Doorway to a Place of Enchantment. Geodha an Tuill: This route is located on the next headland north of a place of enchantment on the northern face which defines the narrow in-cut zawn of Geodha an Tuill. Abseil to the base of the zawn from near the end of the ridge, 60m rope required. The top few metres of this wall are loose and vegetated; a back rope was used for the belay at the top. Remains of the Day 50m E1 *. Keith Archer, Paul Headland. 8 Jun 2009. Start from a ledge adjacent to the tide covered rocks. 1. 20m 4b Follow a left-trending crack to a long wide ledge beneath a small overlap, belay to the left. 2. 30m 5a Traverse right for a few meters along the large ledge and continue up a corner-crack to a small niche. Pass a huge downward pointing rock spike above the niche on its left via a continuation crack. Continue around the top of a rock spike to a short wall above. TORASGEO: Das Boat 30m E4 6a ***. Blair Fyffe, Tony Stone. May 2008. Takes the obvious diagonal cracked groove to the right of Generation Gap. Climb the cracks and block rib for as Ein Schiff voller Narren (SMCJ 2007). Step left and climb past a huge downward pointing flake, then continue up the excellent sustained groove. AIRD MOR MANGURSTADH, Painted Wall Area: Notes from Blair Fyffe: Gneiss is Nice is very serious and bold at the start, not very nice, at least E4 5c and possibly E5. Significantly harder and scarier than Painted Wall or The Dreaded Dram. Painted Wall was thought to be at the lower end of the grade. Buaile Chuido, Screaming Geo, The Screaming Wall: The Wailing Wall 50m E4 ***. Mark Garthwaite, Rab Anderson. 10 Jul 2010. Start at the same point as Necromancer. 1. 25m 6a Move left to climb a groove and wall, then step left to a small alcove barring access to an overhung left-leaning ramp. Follow this to a good flake above a short jam crack, then step right and climb to a small nose. Improbable moves across the smooth white wall on the left gains good holds visible at its top left edge. Pull up left to a small foot ledge, junction with Screamadelica. 2. 25m 5b Climb the red wall up and right in an amazing position to a short quartz groove, then a horizontal break. Move up and right to the arete and finish up the inset groove in this. Screamadelica 30m E2 5c ***. Mark Garthwaite, Rab Anderson. 10 Jul 2010. This spectacular climb steps across the top of the cleft which separates Lighthouse Arete from the main cliff. Start from a foot ledge inside the cleft, some 5m from its top. Climb up and bridge the void onto a foothold below an overlap, then climb rightwards into a hanging groove. At the top of the groove step right to small foot ledges, junction with The Wailing Wall. Climb straight up via a down pointing tooth and its short right- facing corner, then continue directly up the wall to a horizontal break where a step left gains the finishing holds. LEWIS HILLS: Sron Scourst Grade 3 scramble ***. Grahame Nicoll. 8 Jul 2009. A very exposed and improbable scramble up a very imposing buttress. Good route finding is essential. Approach: Follow a good track up Gleann Mhiabhaig to a point 300m beyond Loch Scourst. The route lies directly above at NB 105 099 but is not at all obvious; it may be worth ascending the hillside opposite, a short distance, to pick out the line. Scramble easily up to a steep grassy rake leading left and up to a large grass alp below a steep rock face. From the top of the alp, traverse right until it is possible to scramble up to a spectacular grass ledge which leads left to the crest of the buttress. Continue left and up into a gully (exposed), climb this for only a few metres then move left onto the rib.