UKC

In Bristol working for a couple of days this week, don't know the area at all but was thinking of bringing a rope and the shunt to get some routes in. Anyone know of a crag with handy access to the top and good anchors? Ideally somewhere with some routes that will make me work for it! In the low to mid e grades! 

Might as well get a few routes done while I'm there!

Alternatively, if anyone wants to meet up for a few routes, indoor or out, that would be sweet too!

Cheers

No match for crag id:7224

Wrong one!

The right one!

Split Rock (Milton Hill Quarry)

Lots of trees at the top for setting up

Split rock is class but it's an hour or so from Bristol.

Goblin Coombe would work, not as many E grades to go at but still a fair few - overhangs on some though so that might be tricky.  Upper Wall in the Avon Gorge would work too...will be baking if the sun is out though.

Great stuff, cheers lads! I’m down in Langford so I don’t think I’m too far from split rock, will see which is closer to me, thanks again!

Avon gorge sea walls can be shunted. Right hand side as you are looking at the crag. You can walk to the top of that area and abseil from the trees to reach a row of bolts above various routes. Routes range from vdiff to e7 but many are polished to a high sheen! Still fun for a few hours tho. 

Also wyndecliff quarry lower tier. Anchors can be accessed from the upper tier. Only 25 mins away from bristol. Routes to 6c and e2

The upper wall in avon is where I've been shunting a few times. There' quite a few bolted belays at the top. Can get to it by climbing over the railings at the top of the downs (can park near the ice cream van)

Upper Wall.  Also the top pitches on Exploding Galaxy Wall and The Ramp (Unknown Area) - you're supposed to ab in there now and take a hanging stance, so at the moment the routes need the traffic.

They can be really hot though, and even if the crimps aren't greasy you will bake at the moment.  So you can look at the Evil Edna Wall too in Leigh Woods, or the Little Grey Overhanging Wall and if your desired route is dry, the Big Grey Overhanging Wall in the Frome Valley are nice and shady in a river valley, you just need to ab from a tree to the lower off, and give your route a brush on the way down - they also need the traffic, but for different reasons!

There're good routes a short drive away at Bourton Combe too with a forest to belay on at the top.

That's half an hour from Bristol - you really want to get to Cheddar in that case. 

It's possibly to talk up to The Tsunami and carefully lie down, reach down and clip the lower offs on the Wave below.  Or you can easily walk to the top of Arch Rock, Stepped Wall and Overshoot Wall, maybe even the Remnant and Lion rock.

If you're happy on slabs or are pressed for time, Sandford Quarry is the local crag to Langford, and that's ideal for shunting as it's a bit of a pain ot walk to the bottom of the lower crag, but you have to go an ask permission or something.  Access is weird.

Have you been in recently, seen what Charterhouse have been up to on Red Slab? Worth a look, outrageous - I thought so anyway ...

What have they done (Presume we're talking about the activity centre)?

Tom

It's possible to "shunt" Ffoegs Folly, Last Slip and Fast Grip and other routes in that vicinity on Sea Walls at Avon by using the tree near the top and just flicking the rope around edges above the respective routes to align the ropes.  You don't even need to get to the tree to adjust.

Al

A lot of rock has been removed from the Red Slab and holds have been bolted on. The Lower Lift seems to be going through a similar transformation and some of the trad routes, damaged or destroyed.

Oh dear. How sad. Not the most picturesque of venues but some decent routes in there.

When I went in about 2005, the right most death trap E3s and E2s on red slab were retro-bolted.  They were enjoyable long slab routes.  I mentioned the bolts to some eminent Bristol locals and they told me to go to take them out, but I never went back until very recently.  Can't think why .  It's almost as if a lifetime of climbing finally became available outside the winter months at Cheddar.

A few years ago (2016) I went back because my mate wanted to do some slabs, and I lived in a purportedly spiritual hive of scum and villainy down on the levels. 

The hangers had been removed, so I just looped the wires of rock 3s and rock 2s over the stubs - kept things spicey. 

It's a shame if they bolted on holds, but if the outdoor centre the land owner that what can we do anymore than complain about what anyone does in their back garden?  Climbing ethics aren't protected by planning permission.

At the end of the day, nothing of value was lost.  Whatever they do with those routes, the best thing about red slab is always going to be The Crown Inn in Churchill.