UKC

HI

Anyone boulder there? What's it like? Worth a trip from Glasgow?

Is it clean / safe for a dog to run around or covered in broken glass and ned party litter? 

Alternatively, and I appreciate its not bouldering, what length rope for top roping?

Cheers

I haven't noticed any boulderers' chalk. It's a great venue for well-protected E1- crack climbing; I would guess less attractive for bouldering. Popular/starred routes are generally safe, though some crimp holds (and stacked blocks) are not beyond reproach. Routes that get less traffic, well... that may be for a reason. I have seen a ledge collapse in Thorntons Quarry, and guidebooks refer to historical rockfall in Forth Quarry.

Personally I'm not a fan of unsupervised dogs while climbing, for all sorts of reasons, but I'd suggest it's not a great place for a dog off the lead anyway. Some broken glass, masses of sticky burrs you will be combing out for weeks, and mtb/motorbike jumps often in use in the middle of the quarry.

Routes are probably about 15m high. Bring rigging ropes and edge protection, as anchors are generally stakes/fenceposts/trees about 5m back from the edge.

Lovely place on a summer evening, as long as there's a breeze to keep the midges off. Some of the best E1- cragging I know of, second only to Trowbarrow. Mostly dries pretty fast.

Thanks.

I'd agree with much of what Jonny has said. Cambusbarron is a good venue for evenings or just a shorter weekend day from Glasgow.

The open quarry has good routes in the HVS to E4 range. There's a bunch of good E1's, some of which are quite soft for the grade. Generally there's lots of gear, just be wary of the odd loose block, especially when topping out.

The close quarry is a bit harder. There are a few E1's and E2's although the best of this quarry is in the E3 to E5/6 range. The popular routes are generally clean but you might find some of the less travelled routes to be dusty or have a big of veg on ledges.

Just noticed that this came out as an implausibly bold claim. I had meant to say quarried crack climbing (hence the mention of Trowbarrow). I realise other parts of the country may still beg to differ, but...

I was once standing on a ledge at the top of Anabolic Steroids in Thorntons. The complete ledge shifted under my feet and stopped again only held by my weight on it. You could hear it groan and crack if I lifted a foot. I've have been a bit stuck; except I was on my shunt, so moved the rope out the way and it all went crashing!

If I'd been on lead, it's hard to see how it wouldn't have chopped ropes and squashed a belayer. That was a lot of rock.

Anyway - with that out the way, Cambusbarron is a great trad area even coming from Glasgow. (Lucky Stirlingshire folk have Dunkeld for roughly same travel time...)

The bouldering isn't much but if you are there anyway, stick a pad or two under the Monkey slab, it's interesting padding-on-nothing. Apart from that I suspect most Stirling-based climbers would tell you to go to Wolfcrag for bouldering instead.

Nasty. It was "the bustup" for us. I don't have the topo handy, but it looks like yours is very close by in the same corner, and might even have been the same ledge system. I think I won't go back to that corner of the quarry...

The established bouldering at Cambusbarron is in Thornton's Quarry. If you would still consider top-roping here after the horror stories above (and you should because there are plenty good routes and sound rock) then you might be advised to bring a 60m rope to increase your options (the SMC guide has the longest routes as 30m).

Most of the bouldering is a bit rubbish but the Monkey Spanking boulder has two excellent - and heavily overgraded - problems, one steep and one slabby, which are far better than anything you'd find at Wolfcrag. I expect your dog would be OK in Thornton's, but possibly lockdown has led to higher levels of adolescent broken glass production.

As to whether it's worth the trip from Glasgow - yes if you're bouldering around 7A and travelling for the rock, no if you're more interested in ambience. It's a central belt quarry, and will be feeling a bit dark and damp just now (despite recent tree clearance). Best in the early spring. Fourth Quarry is a bit less dark and damp, but the rock is no sounder, and there's nothing tempting for the boulderer.

Wow, that sounds scary Kev! To highlight the point of loose top outs, I've just had a text from a mate who's said that the entire roof section to the left above Nandralone has collapsed. Sounds like a large rockfall. Be careful around there.

Jeez - very recent? Was there a couple weeks ago and don't remember seeing anything.

Definately within the last week. The irony of it, after the previous warnings above. Cambusbarron has great comic timing. Looks like McNair's Cybersex 5 will be well dodgey at the top and Nandralone will be best attempted if you have a death wish. I would avoid standing anywhere near that back corner until the rockfall scar has been stabilised, if that's even possible .

Cheers, Iain

As others have a alluded to not a premier bouldering venue. 
 

For bouldering in the area, I’d try Wolfcrag Quarry by Bridge of Allan. An excellent spread of problems, many of them good, in the low to mid grades.

Nice flat landings, and you should be able to the let the dog run around freely, as far as central belt quarries go its rather pleasant, -no litter/glass/needles or anything. 

All this talk of loose rock Cambusbarron reminds me. Before I led Cybersex 5, I was shunting it when a 3m section of the lower arete detached itself whilst I was still hanging on Wile E Coyote style! Fortunately I was protected by my ab rope from above and the shard just slid out of my hands and crashed to the ground below. Luckily I was on my own and there was no one belaying me...

Niall, was there a couple of years ago when someone ripped a big block off the top of that route also. That corner of the quarry is looking a bit notorious for blocks coming down now!