UKC

Hello, me and partner are heading to Portland for a week for a spot of climbing (I know some of the crags have crumbled away and it;s not everyones cup of tea), I mentioned this to a lovely man at my local wall and he suggested a post on here to get a bit of advice.

So... any advice on where to start in Portland? I'm looking at 5's to ease me in and my partner 6a/b.

Thanks in advance

In reply to katiet:

Chayne weirs is good. Or in the afternoon blacknor central / north.

In reply to ewanjp:

Thanks Ewanjp, we'll give them a go

In reply to katiet:

Slings Shot at Blacknor North is the best 5/4a+ bolted route in Britain, and while you are on it you can pluck up the courage to do Reptile Smile 6a the best bolted route of its grade in the UK.,

In reply to Al Evans:


Its definitely neither of those things, it's 6a+ and far from the best on Portland, let alone the UK.
Still, well worth a climb.

In reply to Al Evans:


It was the biggest 6a sandbag ever but I've just seen it's been upgraded to 6a+, and is still hard for the grade. Very Sleepy River 6b in the same area is great, Cake Walk also is a decent route with a big finish from what I remember. Seriously consider doing Pregnant Pause. It's the best 6a+ I can recall in a great position.

In reply to Pete Dangerous:

Yep, agreed, Pregnant Pause is really good. And a little further along is another dramatic arete, Monsoon Malabar, which feels like a mountaineering route!

In reply to Pete Dangerous:

Actually maybe it was always 6a+ but more like a 6b

In reply to Chris Sansum:

+2 for Pregnant Pause (It's Mrs Dandan's favourite 6a+ too)

In reply to Dandan:

Blacknor north on a sunny evening is lovely. There are quite a few good routes around there.
Some 9f the bolted boulders on the beach down the are fun in the lower grades, if you can be bothered with the access scramble.

In reply to katiet:
I would save blacknor north and central for day 2 as there aren't that many 5's around there.

I'd head to Cheyne Wears area as there is a good range of routes there.

Remember most the venues are quite a short walk in and only a short drive between so you can move about if you want a change of scene.

The cuttings is worth a visit but personally I find it harder work for the grade and a tendency to more polish.

In reply to Pete Dangerous:
Reptile Smile is a good route but is a bit of a sandbag at F6a+. The route would be considerably eaiser if it had more bolts and clipable from resting positions. It seems the bolts are nearly always placed after the hard moves or when you are on smears and side pulls and they are quite spaced. Its been F6a+ since the first Rockfax I think.

In reply to Dandan:

Pregnant Pause is such a good route, real quality.

In reply to katiet:

Thanks for everyone's advice, we had 4 good days at The Cuttings, Blacknor South and Fallen Slab, Cheyne Wearnes and a day in swanage. I'll not lie, it was very tough! We both had to drop a couple of grades, but it's something to improve on and we are both still smiling so not a wasted holiday