UKC Forums - Sandy Crag - Northumberland

Sandy Crag - Northumberland

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Adamski1986 09 Jul 2013

I visited Sandy Crag (Northumberland) for the first time on Sunday gone. It's certainly an impressive crag with a load of great lines although not that easy to get to.

The one thing I found surprising was how dangerous the top outs of a lot of the climbs we did were. A lot of the routes would finish and you were climbing up a meter or so of steep loose soil/rocks to find somewhere to put a safe belay in. Has the crag always been like this?

My climbing partner who is slightly more ballsy than I am left the crag saying "They should stop people climbing there, the tops out are lethal!"

All that said, Angel Fingers the classic HVS route is one of the best routes I have ever climbed and luckily shares one of the best belays on the crag with Sandy Crack.

Bulls Crack 09 Jul 2013

In reply to Adamski1986:

Who are 'they'?

JDal 09 Jul 2013

In reply to Bulls Crack:
Its always been like that. I'm pretty sure the main face is an old quarry, they are classic quarry topouts.

SteveSBlake 09 Jul 2013

In reply to Adamski1986:

What's the problem? There's loads of heather and stuff to belay off - I dunno, kids today, what's the world come to?.......

Steve

Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 09 Jul 2013

In reply to JDal:

> (In reply to Bulls Crack)
> Its always been like that. I'm pretty sure the main face is an old quarry, they are classic quarry topouts.

Judging by the chaos below the crag, I always assumed it was a landslip - though that would also produce 'classic quarry top-outs',

Chris

Lesdavmor 09 Jul 2013

In reply to Adamski1986:

> I visited Sandy Crag (Northumberland) for the first time on Sunday gone. It's certainly an impressive crag with a load of great lines although not that easy to get to.
>
> The one thing I found surprising was how dangerous the top outs of a lot of the climbs we did were. A lot of the routes would finish and you were climbing up a meter or so of steep loose soil/rocks to find somewhere to put a safe belay in. Has the crag always been like this?
>
> My climbing partner who is slightly more ballsy than I am left the crag saying "They should stop people climbing there, the tops out are lethal!"
>
> All that said, Angel Fingers the classic HVS route is one of the best routes I have ever climbed and luckily shares one of the best belays on the crag with Sandy Crack.

I did these climbs with Steve Blake back in the mid 70's & I agree there was no problem with the top belays, mind you I was probably 2nding & he did have his heels well dug in

OP Adamski1986 10 Jul 2013

In reply to Lesdavmor:

It looks like there was a landslide at one point, about three or four meters back from the crag there is a shelf where the soil is about a good foot or more higher then that closer to the crag. It looks like the stuff in front had been ripped away. I wasn't sure if it has been recent or not, there wasn't any debris at the bottom of the crag but it was wildly over grown.

I know not every crags going to be just the way you want it, but it seems a huge shame after climbing some really nice lines to have to cross a meter or so of loose unprotected crap!

I don't think "they" refers to anyone in specific. I will practice on my heather belays for future trips haha