April 2011 seemed to be the time when most of the Rock + Run staff migrated up to the West Coast of Scotland at some point. George North was up there first, based around Torridon and then Reiff. A couple of weeks later Andy Hyslop and Mike Binks worked their way up from Gairloch to the far NW, stopping at numerous easy access cragging locations on the way.

Below is a rundown of the areas which were visited, and are described from South to North...

Torridon Bouldering - The Celtic Boulders – George

Annette Smith and myself spent a few sessions at these very accessible boulders that are conveniently situated a mere 5 minute stroll from the municipal campsite in Torridon village. The rock bears many similarities to finest quality Yorkshire gritstone, both in its texture and in the style of climbing – power and technique are both required for success! A circuit is described in the Stone Country ‘Bouldering in Scotland’ guide, although there are many excellent lower grade problems that are not described. A couple of standout problems for me included: Spaceship Wall Righthand (Fb6a+) and Celtic Knot (Fb6a – a fantastic sandbag!). On the Ship boulder there are four problems that must be amongst the best of their respective grades in the country. The North Face Direct (Fb5+), with its lovely positive holds leading most of the way to the top; Squelch (Fb6c) with its gripping finale; the awesome Malcolm’s Arete (Fb7a+) with a massive powerful move that will certainly spurn the weak, and The Mission (F7b), the thin and technical wall to the right; the perfect foil to Malcolm’s Arete.

Unfortunately the gigantic mass of the ship boulder seems to draw up water from the surrounding bog, so a tarpaulin is a very good idea if you wish to keep your mats dry. Also make sure you’ve got a good reserve of skin before visiting – the ancient sandstone is extremely abrasive as I soon found out and spent the rest of the week climbing with taped fingertips.

Diabaig - George

This is an area I’ve wanted to climb at for a very long time and it really does live up to the hype. We only did 2 routes here, Route 2 (HVS), and The Pillar (E2), both were fully deserving of their 4 star statuses however. The rock is very solid Gneiss and it is hard to imagine a better medium for trad climbing. The gear inspires confidence in its solidity and the variety of holds is sure to keep you thinking (little hidden in-cut edges are particularly common though). The only drawback is that those operating at less than HVS will have a very limited choice of routes – the nature of the rock does mean it would be a good place to push your grade however! (The Pillar in particular is a give-away at E2, and would make the perfect introduction to the grade.) Diabaig is a place I’ll definitely be heading back to – the other routes on the Main Cliff in particular look amazing.

Gairloch - Mike

North East of Gairloch on the way to Poolewe, Aztec Tower can clearly be seen from the road about 10 minutes walk away. This can be seen on the way to the Loch Tollaidh Crags that Andy and Mike have previously visited. (see link)

Aztec Tower, is partially metamorphosed sandstone, and holds a handful of routes around 15m in height. The better climbing being in the centre of the face, mostly around VS that gives pleasant climbing on good holds and was a good evening crag after Mike’s 8hr drive. Human Sacrifice (HVS) and Warrior God (VS) were 2 of the better lines.

Worth calling into if climbing in the Gairloch area and could easily be combined with a day to the gneiss Loch Tollaidh crags.

Rubha Mor – Poolewe - Mike

A protruding headland north of Poolewe, with a selection of torridonian sandstone sea cliffs. Similar, but on a smaller scale to the better know Reiff peninsular further to the north. (Which we shall get to later in this article)

Andy and Mike paid a visit to the Opinan Slabs which on the whole were pleasant slabs at friendly angles providing plenty of short routes in the D to S grade above a semi tidal platform. The rock steepens towards the landward side and becomes a bit more bouldery. The rock on the whole is good though the nature of the rock means that some of the gear placements take a bit of care due to the flaring nature of the cracks.

In my opinion it was a pleasant location and was a good place to call in. But I can't decide whether it would just be better pushing on to the grander Reiff further to the north on future visits to the NW. Though, Andy and I would like to try some of the routes at Camas point that were unfortunately affected by the tide. Plus there looked to be some potential new lines to be climbed on the cliffs passed on the walk out.

Worth calling in if passing but Reiff provides a better location with more to go at.

Gruinard Bay - Mike

Mike and Andy were only passing through this area but stopped off at the roadside Jetty Buttress on the North side of Gruinard Bay.

Andy and Mike climbed two routes, one being Red Slab Route (HS), which after the tricky start gives poorly protected but steady climbing on good holds and makes it way up the obvious flank of this lump of rock.

Other routes are in contrast such as the fairly steep Anthrax Flake (VS) which is probably the crag classic. After a little bit of an awkward start the climbing begins at the base of a hanging flake, on which the holds get better as you go up leading into a short jamming crack. This flake is so named as it overlooks an island in the bay where anthrax was tested during the Second World War.

There are plenty of other small easily accessible crags in this area, for those who would like to base themselves in this area. If the rock on the other crags is as good at the Gneiss on the Jetty Buttress it is sure to be worthwhile.

Rhue Sea Cliffs and Boulders - Mike

Not far outside of Ullapool, Rhue is quite a surprising venue. On the short walk in you don’t expect that much as the ground at first just slopes out in the sea. But as you walk around the headland the cliffs appear and get to a decent 20m or so, and feature some impressive stepped overhangs and prows, leaning out over the sea above the rock platform at the base of the crag. The rock is once again Torridonian sandstone, but is a little bit sandier than some other cliffs in the area, but not so much to be an issue.

We unfortunately only had time for one route here as it was the last day so we plumped for a 3* classic; Rhue Corner which is a great steep corner crack for its E1 5b grade

For a spot of bouldering the Rhue boulders present a small cluster of walls and blocks and can be seen behind you as you walk into the cliffs and they are worth popping into. “The Forge” (6b+) is particularly good, and features good moves on pebble strewn sandstone.

Ardmair - Mike

I was highly impressed with my visit to the Ardmair crags and will be going back for sure. Found within a short striking distance from Ullapool, these crags are easily accessible via a 15 – 30min walk uphill depending on which buttress you want to find yourself on.

The rock is of brilliant quality Torridonian sandstone and is very reminiscent to climbing on the western grit edges, just with a grander sense of scale. The rock architecture is fascinating, with plenty of fins, grooves, corners and cracks. Speaking of cracks most of the climbing is focused on the beauties or buggers. Some of which can be quite flared, so bring your cams, jamming technique and seriously consider taping up due to the coarse and sometimes pebble ridden nature of the rock.

There are so many good looking lines, and you could easily spend a good length of time getting them done, I wish this was my local crag! From appearances I think it would be fair to agree with Gary Latter’s guidebook in that the crag ‘comes into its own from HVS upwards’

A couple of routes to get you on the way…

Summer Isles City (E1) – A mix of styles, featuring a short wall/grove onto a slab, then up a wide layback, jamming crack

Buried treasure (E1) is 25m corner crack which is pretty sustained bar a small section at mid height featuring laybacking, bridging and back and footing, and is good fun and well protected. A must visit!

Reiff

The Reiff sea cliffs lie on the Rubha Mor Peninsula and are reached after a 35min drive from Ullapool. The rock is generally very solid, but coarse sandstone and the routes range in height from 5 to 20m. With a few mats some, especially around the Bouldering Cliff and Orange Wall can be done as excellent highball boulder problems. As with all sea cliffs the rock can suffer from greasiness, especially in the morning, so a good breeze and low humidity should bring optimum conditions. Parking in Reiff village has become an issue so please ensure you park considerately and do not block any gates or drives. If in doubt park a little further up the road and walk in.

A campsite (http://www.portabhaigh.co.uk/index.html) has recently opened across the road from the excellent Am Fuaran Bar in Altandhu, and will no doubt prove popular with climbers. The seafood in the pub is also highly recommended if you’re feeling flush.

Roinn A’ Mhill – This is the first headland north of Reiff village and the climbs are reached in 5-10 minutes from the car.

Pinnacle Area - George

Not surprisingly the area closest to the car park at Reiff is also the most popular. Aside from its proximity to the road, it does also have one of the best selections of lower grade routes on the headland. Access to the base of the routes is mostly by simple scrambles, although an abseil rope would be worth taking if you wish to get as many routes packed into a day as possible. The platforms at the most popular area around the pinnacle block are generally above the high tide level, although caution must obviously be exercised in choppy sea conditions. Classic Routes include – Moonjelly (VD), Tangle of the Isles (HS), Hy Brasil (VS), Westering Home (E1) and Channering Worm (E3). Moonjelly and Channering Worm both require a steady approach to deal with the bold climbing – so don’t fall off!

The Bouldering Cliff - George

Don’t let the name fool you, this is one of the highest crags on the headland with some very impressive lines. The climbs are again set above a flat non-tidal platform which is accessed by an easy climb down a luminous green gully. Six boulder problems between Fb6a and Fb7b are described in the Stone Country bouldering guide – all are superb, but there are also a few other good lines that aren’t described as well as an excellent looking project. A couple of mats are recommended as most of the problems are high. Of the routes, Wyatt Earp (E3/4) and The Crack of Desire (E3) take the two best lines on the crag and are high on my hit list for the next visit.

The Orange Wall - George

This is an amenable non-tidal area with a good selection of short routes between Diff and E2. The rock is slightly sandier than the other areas nearby – although they do set a very high standard. With a couple of pads several could be done as pleasant low grade boulder problems. Although the area is unlikely to keep you occupied for a full day it is well worth dropping by if climbing at the adjacent Black Rocks (Tystie Slab (VD) is a must no matter what grade you climb.)

Rubha Coigeach – This is the northern-most and remotest headland on the Rubha Mor peninsula. The sectors are reached after a 1-1.5 walk across some potentially very boggy ground. Fortunately the views are stunning.

Golden Walls - Mike

1 hour approach

A nice spot, with a convenient platform at the base of the routes overlooking a deep tidal pool, and can be a real sun trap. The rock is of excellent quality like much of the surrounding areas. The crag starts with shorter routes as you approach, and then gains height to a healthy 15m or so.

Leaning Block Cliffs - Mike

One of the better areas on the peninsular reached after an hour’s approach – usually boggy I would imagine, though it was particularly dry on Andy and Mikes visit. The area is partially tidal but don’t let this put you off from getting on one of the many starred routes. The routes range from D right through to E7. Cams proved particularly useful in this area, and doubling up on sizes would not be a bad idea.

As a side note on the way to the Leaning Block Cliffs you can see ‘Spaced Out Rockers on the Road to Oblivion’ (E4) which looks brilliant – a 65m rising diagonal traverse on the biggest crag in the area.

Rubha Ploytach - George

This is one of the remotest areas at Reiff and will certainly appeal to those seeking a bit of solitude. The walk took us about 1.5 hours each way, although we did go to great lengths to stay dry and took a very meandering line through the bog. The crag is on 2 tiers with a non-tidal upper tier, and a tidal lower tier, where most of the best routes are. There are good climbs at nearly every grade between Diff and E2 - The Toaster (E2) was particularly memorable, as much for the thriving colony of arthropods that didn’t take too kindly to being disturbed as the actual climbing. I also did a few pleasant lowball boulder problems between Fb4 and Fb7a on the non-tidal upper tier, although I wouldn’t go so far as to recommend carrying a bouldering mat there!

Rhiconich - Mike

We paid a visit to a couple of crags in the Rhiconich area, which is where you turn off the road heading to Durness on the North Coast and westwards towards Sheigra.

The two routes that we checked out were Glaciated Slab and Red Wall. They offered a contrast in styles. Glaciated slab, as indicated by its name was a 35m slab. The climbing was okay and was a bit dirty/heathery in places, so you would be better going to Red Wall instead.

This 15m tall wall packs a punch for its small size, gear is generally good but was quite poor for your feet so got a little pumpy for its size. Routes are in the VS to E2 range, but two that stood out where: “Rhicorner” (E2), the obvious line up the centre of the crag is sustained and well protected and “The Goat of Barten” (E2) features a bouldery start up a thin crack and also at E2 provides a contrast to the previous route.

I thought that Red wall would be worth nabbing a couple of routes on if you had a window of climbing time on the way to or out of Sheigra, as it is only 10 minutes from the road, and you can easily get a few routes done.

Also in the area, a spot of bouldering -  it had to be done, “Rhiconich Arête” (6a) on the Rhiconich Bloodstone which features on the front cover of the Scottish Bouldering guide – The problem was pleasant but don’t fall off as you may get wet feet.

Sheigra - Mike

This is a great venue and well worth traveling to the far NW of Scotland for. The climbing is located to the north of the small picturesque beach, where you can camp. Drinking water is available on the way in near the Graveyard and toilets are back a few miles maintained by the John Muir Trust, where many people head out to the popular Sandwood Bay.

The climbing; Wow, what a place! The rock is amazing, totally solid gneiss. We climbed a bunch of routes on the rock between the Geos including the delightful “Crackin’ Corner” (VS). However it was the 2^nd Geo (Zawn) that was the highlight. The rock is generally vertical to overhanging and full of amazing holds, making for very enjoyable and pumpy climbing. The routes are accessed either by abseil or from a slab dropping into the sea depending on the route of choice. Everyone should get on Sideslip (MVS\VS) for the series of holds at the top. One of Mike’s favorites was “Bloodlust” (E1), moving off the slab and in the direction of the sea cave was very enjoyable, the E2 version looked great fun too featuring a series of obvious pockets. Whilst the sea was calm on our visit I would imagine it to be quite an intimidating place with the sea crashing into sea cave at the base of the cliff.

Sheigra is another must visit location – though preferably not when I’m there, as it was a great place to have to yourself!

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