Bowden Doors

Climbs 260 – Rocktype Sandstone (hard) – Altitude 170m a.s.l – Faces W

Crag features
A half-mile or so of superb 7-15m climbs, of all grades, but tending to the technical. The crag is a local summit, rarely wet and quick drying; ideal for year-round exercise. At the northern end, the rock is overhung in the shape of a breaking wave - really rather eerie. Good views of the coast from the top. Bowden is part of the same outcrop as Back Bowden Doors (about a mile away), and Kyloe Crags (10km north; 15km by road). [Simon Smith]

Weather forecast

Today	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Light rain/ drizzle Sunny periods 4 °C	Dry Sunny periods 3 °C	Light rain/ drizzle Mainly cloudy 3 °C	Light rain/ drizzle Sunny periods 4 °C	Dry Sunny/ clear 4 °C
Forecast for this crag, or UK Weather forecast

Guidebooks
Northern England (2008), Northumberland Climbing Guide (2004),
Out of print: Northumberland (1989)

Climbs at this crag

	Climb name	Grade	x

	THE BOULDERS
2	Ravine Slopers	font 6b
3	Ravine Flake	font 6a
4	Problem 35	font 6b
5	Born Lippy	font 8a *
6	Pulp Friction	font 7c+ *
7	The Fan Left	font 6a
8	The Fan Central	font 6a
9	The Fan Right	font 6a
10	Outer Limits Direct Finish	E2 5c
11	Outer Limits	E2 5c **
12	Childs Play	font 6b **	83
13	Playtime	font 6a
14	Parisienne Walkways	font 6c	1
15	Entrebaillement	font 6a	11
16	Bottom	font 6a	2
17	Problem 24	font 6a
18	Problem 23	font 5+	2
19	Problem 22 (Bottom Area)	font 4	4
20	Problem 21	font 5	2
21	Sandy Scoop	font 6a
22	Alfie Thornton	font 7c+
23	The Crack SS	font 8a+
24	The Crack	font 8a **
25	The Lightbulb	font 6a	47
26	Sheep Pen Traverse	font 4	5
27	Corner	font 4	14
28	Blind Seam	font 5	14
29	Dreaming of Heuco	font 4	16
30	Paw Prints	font 3	16
31	Hanging Rib	font 4	14
32	Sheep Pen Scoop	font 3	16
33	The Mantleshelf	font 7a	8
34	Sandy Rib	font 5+	10
35	Scooped Wall	font 6b ***	24
36	Sandy Arete	font 4+	4
37	Scooped Wall LH	font 4+	4
38	Scooped Wall RH	font 5	2
39	LH Flake	font 4	12
40	RH Flake	font 5	7
41	Black Wall	font 5+	3
42	Pathside Boulder Traverse	font 6a
	WARM UP WALL
44	Warmed up and Worn Out Circuit	font 6c
45	Warm Up Traverse	font 6a	1
46	End	font 5+	3
47	Wall	font 5	4
48	The Crescent Flake	font 6a	1
49	Groove	font 4	8
50	Short Slab	font 5	4
51	Evening Wall	MS 4b	22
	THE SCOOPS
53	Another Heap of it	HVS 5c	3
54	Finale Wall	E1 5c	2
55	Scoop Three	E1 5b	18
56	Liberty	E3 6a
57	Scoop Two	E1 5c *	13
58	Toffs Variation Start	E3 6b	1
59	Toffs	font 7a	2
60	Toffs (full route)	E3 6b
61	Toff's Jump	font 7a	3
62	Second Class	font 7c
63	Working Class	font 8a+ ***
64	Working Class SS	font 8b
65	Poverty (full route)	E5 6c *	2
66	Poverty	font 7a+ *	3
67	Poverty Right-Hand	font 7c **	3
68	His Eminence	E4 6a ***	14
69	His Eminence (start only)	font 6b *	14
70	Stu's Variation	font 7a
71	Scoop One	E1 5b *	19
72	The Judge	E3 6a *	1
73	The Trial	E3 5c ***	27
74	The Jury	E3 5c *	2
75	Bloody Crack	VS 5a *	5
76	Arete	font 5	5
77	Bloody Nose	HS 5a *	73
78	The Shiner	VS 5b	22
	THE WAVE
80	The Skate	E1 5c	2
81	Flying Fish	font 6a+ *	20
82	Flying Stag	font 7b
83	The Sting	E3 5c ***	5
84	Honeycomb Wall	font 7c+ *
85	Manta LH	font 7a	2
86	Manta Direct	font 6c	1
87	Manta RH	font 6b	4
88	The Manta	E3 6a ***	12
89	Vienna	font 7b+ ***	8
90	Vienna SS	font 8a
91	Undertow	font 7c
92	Rising Damp	E4 6b **
93	Inner Space	E5 6b **
94	High Tide	E5 6a **
95	The Wave	E5 6a **
96	Captain Haddock	font 7a+ *	11
97	Rough Passage	E6 6b ***
98	Poseidon Adventure	E4 6a ***	16
99	Narcosis	E6 6c
100	Growlers	font 8a
101	The Bends	E5 6c *	1
102	Rip the Lip	E6 6a
103	Green Crack	E1 5b *	3
	BARBARIAN
105	Staggered	font 7b ***	3
106	Staggered SS	font 8a **
107	Jimbo's off to Oz	font 7b+
108	Barbarian	E5 6b ***
	THE CAVE
110	Underdog Traverse	font 8a+
111	Sprung	font 7c *
112	Cave LH Problem	font 6b **	13
113	Cave Central LH	font 7a **	2
114	Cave Central RH	font 6c+ **	2
115	V Crimps	font 7c ***
116	Cave RH Problem	font 6b+ **	13
117	Cave Traverse	font 5+	3
118	See you in Disneyland	E3 6a
119	Giants Ear	VS 5a	12
120	Shoulders of Giants	E6 6c
121	Shoulders of Giants Dyno	font 7a
122	Bulls Lug	E2 6a
123	Robbers Rib	VS 5b	1
	CRUNCHE WALL
125	RH Arete	font 4+	8
126	Middle Problem	font 4	8
127	LH Problem	font 4+	9
128	Little Boulder Traverse	font 6a	1
129	Arrow Crack	VD	23
130	Billy Liar	E2 5c	2
131	Crunchie Traverse	font 5	19
132	Crunchie (full route)	E2 5c **	33
133	Crunchie	font 6a **	4
134	Temptation (full route)	E3 6b *	2
135	Temptation	font 7b+ **	2
136	Blind Wall	S 4a *	24
137	Hanging Crack	E1 5b *	17

	Climb name	Grade	x

138	Cruel Dude	E4 5c
139	Boomer	E4 5c *
140	No Surrender	E4 6a
141	Brothers in Arms	E5 6b
142	Retreat	E1 5b	1
	BANANA WALL + TIGER WALL
144	Wall End	VD	24
145	Wall End Direct	HS 4c *	24
146	Yellow Peril	E2 5c	8
147	The Runnel	HVS 5a *	65
148	Banana Wall	MVS 4c **	134
149	Abanana	E1 5c **	42
150	Abanana Wall	font 5+ *	4
151	Banana Groove	HVS 5a	26
152	Black Crack	VD	71
153	Red Crack	HS 4c	26
154	Leo	E2 5b *	5
155	Tiger's Wall	VS 5a ***	158
156	Tigers Wall Circuit	font 5+	3
157	The Cheetah	E2 5c
158	The Rajah	E5 6b ***	5
159	Antihydral	font 8a
160	Imagery	E4 6b
161	Slab Crack	E1 5b *	4
	LORRAINE
163	Don't Let Go Arete	font 7c
164	Don't Let Go Direct Start	E2 6c
165	Don't Let Go	E2 5c *	10
166	Lorraine	VS 4c ***	200
167	Lorraine (start only)	font 5 ***	1
168	Little Red Rooster	E1 5c *	29
169	Runt	VS 5a	15
170	Pride Before a Fall	VS 5a	7
171	Crescent Wall	MS 4b *	48
172	Pitchfork	E2 5c	2
173	Pitcher Wall	HVS 5a *	19
174	Picher Wall Direct	E1 5c	3
175	The Keep	E1 5b	3
176	The Belford Pie Shop	E3 6a	1
177	Castle Crack	VD ***	287
178	Bella	E2 5c	2
179	Sue Direct	HVS 5b	22
180	Sue	S 4c *	82
181	Flake Wall	D	40
182	Flake Chimney	D	21
	CASTLE WALL + SCORPION
184	Castle Wall	MS 4b	82
185	Wall Crack	MVS 4c	20
186	Triple Cracks	HS 4b *	92
187	Short Crack	VD	6
188	Creepy Crawly	font 6a	4
189	The Harvest Bug	font 6a	10
190	Listen to the Rain	E4 5c	2
191	Woolman's Wall	VS 5a *	29
192	The Lobster	E2 5c	6
193	Crab Wall	HS 4b *	94
194	Scorpion	VS 4c **	231
195	Nutcracker	HVS 5c	28
196	Brutally Handsome	E2 5c	6
197	Nose Chimney	D	16
198	Broken Crack	E2 5c	6
	LEANING GROOVES
200	Blocked Chimney Corner	HS 4c	45
201	Second Leaning Groove	VS 5a **	108
202	First Leaning Groove	HVS 5a **	68
203	Street Runner	E4 5c *
204	The Big Splash Direct Finish	E3 5c	3
205	The Big Splash	E2 5c	7
206	Hanging Flake	font 6a	1
207	Flake Eliminate	font 7a **
208	Long John	S 4c	26
209	Transformer LH	font 7c **	5
210	Transformer Direct Start	font 7a **	8
211	Transformer (full route)	E2 5c *	11
212	Transformer	font 6a+ **	15
213	Transformer RH	font 6c	3
214	Jackdaw Crack	HVS 5b *	3
215	Long Crack	HVS 5a **	35
216	First Century	E3 6a *	1
217	Klondyke Wall	E2 5c **	70
218	Canada Crack	HVS 5a ***	158
219	Quatra Twinkley	E3 6a	1
220	Dog Eat Dog	font 7a **	24
221	One Move	font 7b *	3
222	Canada Dry	VS 5a	22
223	Family Pressure	E1 5c	20
224	Heaven Can Wait	E6 6b
	OVERHANGING CRACK
226	Death Knell	E6 6b	1
227	Hangover Wall	E5 6b
228	The Overhanging Crack	E2 5c ***	39
229	Scoop Traverse	font 7a	2
230	Russet Groove	VD ***	359
231	Red Nose	VS 4c	23
232	Exhibition Crack	HS 4c *	134
233	Brown Ale Wall	E1 5b	11
234	Guards Exit	VD *	113
235	Pinkie Peeler	VS 5a	6
236	Girdle Traverse of the Main Wall	VS 4c	13
237	The Corner	HVS 5a	24
	MAIN WALL
239	Maginot Line	E3 6a
240	Crater Maker	E4 6a	2
241	Flake Crack	S 4b	126
242	A Grave Mask	E4 6a
243	Goose Steep	E3 6a **	2
244	Kaiser Bill	E4 6b *	2
245	Grovel Grove Variation Finish	HVS 5a	12
246	Grovel Groove	MS *	175
247	Please Stop Me Before I Kill Myself	E3 6b
248	The Gauleiter	E3 6a **	2
249	The Scoop	VS ***	259
250	Black and Tan Direct	E2 6a	8
251	Black and Tan Alternative Finish	HVS 5a	3
252	Black and Tan	S 4b **	244
253	Jock Strap	E2 6b	4
254	Y-Front LH Finish	font 6b+	3
255	Y-Front SS	font 6b
256	Y-Front	font 6a+ **	76
257	Y-Front Direct	font 7a ***	13
258	Y-Front Arete	font 7b+	2
259	X-Fire	font 6c+
260	Second Staircase	D	101
261	Deception Crack	VD	130
262	Stretcher Wall	E1 5c *	37
263	The Twud	E1 5b *	1
264	The Viper	E1 6a	19
265	Hissing Sid	E1 5c	3
266	Main Wall Eliminate	HVS 5b	48
267	Main Wall	HVS 5b ***	133
268	Handrail Eliminate	HVS 5c	11
269	Handrail	VS 4c ***	114
270	Eliminate SS	font 6a
271	Eliminate	font 5	1
272	Introductory Staircase	M	70
273	Banister Crack	VD	41

Access notes
From the A1, the crag lies to the west. Find Belford (25Km south of Berwick, 15km north of Alnwick) and take the B6349 signed to Wooler, from the centre of the village. After passing a right turn (or fork) after 4km, continue for 200 yards or so until you surmount a small hill and reach a short plateau; park on the grass verge. The crags - not particularly obvious from the road - are through a farm gate on the right, set back 100 yards across a cow-field.

>From the A697, the crag lies to the east. Find Wooler, and take the B6348 signed to Belford. After about 3.5km, the road takes a 90 degree right turn, and after another 300 yards or so, you should take a left turn onto the B6349 signed Belford. Continue for about 6km until you climb a small hill and find the plateau; park on the verge. The crag is to your left. [Simon Smith]

Do not block the gates to the fields as they are in constant use by the farmer.
Read more... Regional Access notes are available from the BMC.

Classifieds
Find Classifieds near to this crag (Indoor Walls, Outdoor Shops, Campsites, etc)

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