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southern sandstone

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 Banned User 77 18 May 2011
Down in frant this weekend, near Tunbridge Wells so thought we'd try some SS.

Any good online topos? guides? Either bouldering or top roping, ideally OK with dogs..

Not far from Bowles or Harrisons, any other places recomended?
XXXX 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

As it's a one off I'd stick with Bowles or Harrisons. High Rocks you have to pay quite a lot for. Stone Farm is a nice venue for a day but it's a bit further away.

Make your decision based on the weather. We had a bit of rain down here and then it's been cloudy since so I'd avoid Harrisons unless it's dry for the next two days at least.

Bowles is more open (although a lot smaller) so drys quicker.

Don't know about online topos because I have a guidebook but both venues will be busy at the weekend and people will be happy for you to have a look. Dogs are fine at both.

Shame I'm not around, I'd have invited myself out for a run.
 Mr Lopez 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

Harrisons is more like being 'outside' than Bowles but takes longer to dry, Bowles has better routes but you have to pay and is like climbing in a city-park and not very inspiring.

High Rocks is in between, but the £10 entry fee is extortionate.

Wherever you go there will be people, so just borrow people's guides when out there or ask for route suggestions. No point buying a guide when most likely you'll never go back...
 CurlyStevo 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:
if you can top rope UK 5a - 5c eridge green is awesome much better rock than most other venues but you'll need static line for setting up the belays. Bowles is the next best / least trashed venue.

I don't think it's rained much down here in the last week TBH and considering how dry it's been for the last 6 weeks+ I would expect most venues to be in good nick looking at the forecast.
XXXX 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

By the way, Crowborough is a Marilyn. The easiest peak bag you'll ever do.


 Tony the Blade 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

There's this (Harrisons)... http://climb-guide.com/wiki/sand-data/crag2.html

and this (other areas)... http://climb-guide.com/wiki/sand-data/cragselect.php


I'd be happy to lend you a guide.

Email your address if you want it.
 GrahamD 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

If you pitch up at Bowles the challenges are pretty obvious and all contained in a relatively small area. In terms of climbing, think gritstone and then think nothing like ! good fun
In reply to Eric the Red: Thanks, would have been good to go for a run, think I'll manage 10ish Saturday am, I'm ushering so it'll be a full day at the wedding then, then Sunday climb/run combo...

Thanks Tony..very generous but we may head off tomorrow, think we'll be Ok anyway.

 Tony the Blade 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

ok no problem.
 helix 18 May 2011
why not go to both Harrisons and Bowles, they are pretty close, only 5 mins if you have a car. Bowles is a more consistent edge with some excellent challenges, though unfortunately is part of an outdoor centre. Harrisons is a much more pleasant environment though it can be harder to work out where the good stuff is - a good start is to aim for the Isolated Buttress area and you can move on from there in either direction.

it dries exceptionally quickly at this time of year.
i.munro 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

Sigh! Why does it always have to be me explaining this..?

The SS code of practice is here

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmcNews/media/u_content/File/access_conservation/ac...

From this you can see that if you want to toprope you need to use a low-stretch belay sling & position the krab so that" moving or stretching ropes do not contact the rock".

Therefore, assuming you don't have a long length of static line to hand, you can only climb routes where there is something close to belay from.

Handily, bolts have been placed for this on most of the routes at Harrisons & many at Bowles but not at any of the other crags IIRC (certainly not Eridge & High rocks, mentioned above).

The other 'unusual' bit of kit you'll need is a mat of some sort to stand on & a rag/towel as you need to clean your shoes thoroughly before stepping off the deck. The ground is, unsurprisingly, sandy & this makes climbing shoes into excellent tools for abrading the soft & fragile hplds if you aren't extremely careful.


Have fun
In reply to i.munro: Thanks...I was all about to pack my cams...

May get some static rope, how much is generally recomended? 10m? 5m?
 struds 18 May 2011
I take 8m of static rope, always comes in handy, on occasion have used all of it.

I also have a rope protector on it (although in this case a sandstone protector

 Trangia 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:
> (In reply to i.munro) Thanks...I was all about to pack my cams...
>
> May get some static rope, how much is generally recomended? 10m? 5m?

Depends where you are going. 5m should be ample for Harrisons and Bowles where the bolts are, with only a few exceptions, very close to the edge. In most cases a normal sling will be long enough.

Longer statics are required at Eridge and High Rocks, in some cases up to 20m, where at the former it would be useful to bring a platoon of Ghurkas to hack a way through the vegetation at the top. For a first visit to SS I wouldn't bother in investing in too much new rope or expolring Eridge. High Rocks is great but as has been said pricey, and it's probably best to go there for the first time with someone who is familiar with the climbs.

There is loads to do at both Harrisons and Bowles if you don't have more than a couple of normal slings.

As has been said Isolated Boulder is a good starting point for Harrisons as is Unclimbed Wall area both with an abundance of quailty 5bs and 5cs.

I see from your profile that you climb at E1 so I recommend all of the following at Harrisons:-

Isolated Buttress Climb 4b - A good warm up
Birchden Wall 5b - a 3 star classic
Diversion 5c - Tricky middle moves!
Birchden Corner 5c - Another 3 star classic
Crowborough Corner 5c - Hint move slightly left at top of crack!
Wailing Wall 5c - Hard in the grade
West Wall 5c - Get warmed up first
Edward's Effort 6a - Again get warmed up on others before you try this
Far Left 5c - Pleasant 2 star
Elementary - Another pleasant 2 star
Unclimbed Wall 5b - Another 3 star classic. The 5c direct start is IMHO a nicer climb
Zig Zag Wall 5a - Fun and a chance to wind down Another 3 star classic
Zig Zag Nose 5c - Strenuouus with a delightful rock over through the bulge

If you are not knackered after all these go back pat Isolated Boulder and on for a couple of hundred yards to

The Niblick 5b - Yet another 3 star classic and in my opinion the best climb of it's grade on Sandstone because it's got a bit of everything in it. A crack, followed by a hand traverse, followed by a layback move, followed by a bridging move and second easier layback, followed by a delicate slab, leading to a final chimney which is too narrow to get your body into and too wide to jam - very difficult to do gracefully! All in all a very interesting climb all the way up. Two ther interesting routes on this block include Pincenib Right Edge 5c just to the right, and round to the left in the corner Forester's Wall 5b

And before anyone jumps on me for what I haven't mentioned I emphasise that these are some of my favourites. There are loads more.

I was going to recommend my favourite Bowles climbs, but I don't think you will have time to do Bowles as well in a day.

All that's needed now is for someone else to tell you all their Bowles favourites and you won't have time to go to Harrisons!

 terryturbojr 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

I have 7m of static (that's what was left on the roll) and it's more than fine for most at Harrison's but occasionally pushing it.
 seankenny 18 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

Despite what everyone else is saying, I think High Rocks is a far superior crag - but only if you climb 5c and above. If you're only here once and you want to do the best routes on the sandstone then take the hit and go to High Rocks. Not really worth it if you're climbing under 5c tho. In that case I'd probably to Bowles, bit of a "klettergarden" if you get my drift but, to quote the HHGTG: "mostly harmless".
i.munro 18 May 2011
In reply to seankenny:

> Despite what everyone else is saying, I think High Rocks is a far superior crag - but only if you climb 5c and above.

Wouldn't argue if it's dry (is it ever ??) but £20 plus 20m of static for a day?

 CurlyStevo 20 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:
Last night nearly all the rock at Eridge was dry even in the normally minging bays where you can’t climb. Given this and from what I've seen at other venues lately I think every sandstone venue in SE England will be in condition just now including high rocks. Fingers crossed it doesn't rain over the weekend.
 seankenny 20 May 2011
In reply to i.munro:

I thought it's a tenner for a day.

And it's definitely possible to climb there without the static.
In reply to seankenny: Yep - £10 for the day, £45 for 12 months, possible to setup with slings, easier with static, best rock climbs on southern sandstone.
 mloskot 22 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK: There is not much of online topo

For bouldering, best you can find online lines marked on photos of the Southern Sandstone FB group:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Southern-Sandstone-The-Hard-Routes/1063546183...

For top-rope (and a small collectoin of bouldering problems too), I think it's a good idea to buy this guide

http://www.climbers-club.co.uk/guidebooks/ci-se-sandstone.html

Guys from http://www.ssbouldering.co.uk/ are publishing new bouldering guide around 25th of May, 2011.

Mat

p.s. The weather yesterday was fantastic.
 Fishmate 22 May 2011
In reply to mloskot:

I caught wind that the locals were saying Bulls Hollow is in the best condition they have seen for a very long time. That crag has some beautiful lines worth checking even if they are the softest SS has to offer.
In reply to Fishmate: Yeah 'The Shield' is supposed to be an amazing line at Bull's Hollow
 Fishmate 22 May 2011
In reply to antigravity1989:

It is and also a bit beyond my ambition for now, but Knott, 5c and Slab Variant, 4c are also good just to look at as well . Did Slab recently, it's belay is the opposite way to the finger crack slab in the middle part, so you get a nice sense of exposure in that if you come off, you ping into the adjacent wall. Stunning venue but last to come into condition on SS. Get down there while it lasts.
 jules699 22 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

Unless you like climbing with no friction - dont do it! Your wasting your time. Best off indoors and work your core etc - and I never thought i'd say that but SS is THAT crap!
 CurlyStevo 22 May 2011
In reply to jules699: What a ridiculous thing to say you obviously havent picked up the necessary technique. I really don't enjoy climbing indoors much whilst ss can be very rewarding, even james pearson agrees. Yes being able to trad climb locally on hard rock would be better but that doesn't negate the experience when your looking to climb out side within an hour of home/work.
 Fishmate 22 May 2011
In reply to CurlyStevo:

ditto, I don't have much of that technique yet, having just started on SS, but the challenge is a thrill, but perhaps not if you dislike using that skill called balance which much of good climbing is based on.
 mloskot 22 May 2011
In reply to Fishmate: Thanks for the info. Good to remember. High Rocks has been my main playground so far. Time to visit new sites.
In reply to jules699: lol just because you can't pull on sandstone doesnt mean you should try to deter others, climbing sandstone is hard not crap, and hard climbing is rewarding climbing.
 Fishmate 23 May 2011
In reply to mloskot:

High Rocks!, I'm waiting to be good enough to justify the entry fee

Stone Farm is also in great condition as is Harrison's. At your grade, Stone Farm definitely has a few routes you'd enjoy and a few good bouldering problems including 'Stinging Nettle' fb7a+. A search for the 'Southern Sandstone Bouldering' website reveals much to do in this respect and at Harrisons and Bowles also. I think the first guidebook is due out any time now.

Also, although a low crag, Happy Valley is a 15 minute walk from High Rocks. Red Snapper plus a couple of other routes are worth a couple hours of anyones time. I often use it as a warm up crag before moving on if on foot.
 Fishmate 23 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

How did it go fella?
 karen87 23 May 2011
In reply to IainRUK:

Love the SS myself. Makes me think about my technique much more, and also learn to trust my feet, which I'm not great at. Some great boulder problems at Stone Farm, and a beautiful view to boot!
In reply to Fishmate: Not great, managed some bouldering on Friday, interesting place and weird rock, looks and feels like a fake grit stone... then a nice night in the car park, managed a nice run from there saturday and checked out the climbs, but then when we came back Sunday it was heaving and we were hung over, so we headed back....



i.munro 23 May 2011
In reply to seankenny:
> (In reply to i.munro)
>
> I thought it's a tenner for a day.

I assumed a partner it's helpful if toproping.
>
> And it's definitely possible to climb there without the static.

Well the CC guide says "a long static sling is needed to set up most belays".
Clearly you know better, so could you please provide a list of routes that can be done with a couple of slings as you suggest (without further damage to the rock) because I don't know of any.

 dickie01 25 May 2011
In reply to i.munro:
Odins Wall, Renaisance, Some bits on the hut boulder, Infidel, Henry the 9th, Lobster??, Robins Route (two long slings), Effie, possibly Boysens, two long slings for Too tall for Tim.
+ quite a bit of bouldering.
But yeah it is best to take a long length of static rope.

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