Dorset

Author Mark Glaister and Pete Oxley
Published Rockfax (2021)
ISBN 1-873341-47-6

Review

The Dorset Rockfax covers the superb sport and trad climbing in Portland, Swanage and Lulworth on the Dorset coast. This amazing area is one of the most popular sport climbing areas in the country with a huge number of routes across the grades and great appeal to climbers of all abilities. Thousands of brilliant routes and a relatively friendly climate mean that the area is always busy with climbers.

The 2021 edition of the Dorset Rockfax is the biggest Rockfax to date with 2700 routes on over 600 pages. It is a complete update of previous guides and released in print and digital at the same time. All the crags have been re-photographed using aerial photography and a new set of detailed maps created to make finding and choosing your chosen route even easier than ever.

Other editions of this guidebook
Dorset Rockfax (2012)
Dorset Rockfax (2005)
Dorset Rockfax (2000)
Dorset Rockfax (1994)

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Crags covered by this Guide

Dorset crags	# climbs	Rocktype	Faces
Battleship Back Cliff	118	Limestone	W
Battleship Edge	86	Limestone	W
Beeston Cliff	113	Limestone	E
Blackers Hole	84	Limestone	S
Blacknor Beach	273	Limestone	all
Blacknor Central	112	Limestone	SW
Blacknor Far South	73	Limestone	W
Blacknor North	132	Limestone	W
Blacknor South	83	Limestone	W
Boulder Ruckle	291	Limestone	S
Cattle Troughs	124	Limestone	S
Cave Hole	121	Limestone	E
Cheyne Cliff	332	Limestone	E
Coastguard North	60	Limestone	W
Coastguard South	101	Limestone	W
Cormorant Ledge	45	Limestone	S
Dancing Ledge	180	Limestone	S
Dungecroft Quarry	74	Limestone	E

Fisherman's Ledge	137	Limestone	S
Godnor	114	Limestone	E
Guillemot Ledge	77	Limestone	S
Hedbury	119	Limestone	S
Lighthouse Area	416	Limestone	all
Lost Valley	87	Limestone	all
Lulworth	249	Limestone	S
Neddyfields	160	Limestone	E
Nicodemus Knob	47	Limestone	SW
Southwell Landslips	214	Limestone	all
Subluminal and Lighthouse Cliff	136	Limestone	S
The Cuttings	179	Limestone	SE
The New Cuttings	121	Limestone	SE
The Promenade	150	Limestone	S
Wallsend North	149	Limestone	W
Wallsend South	136	Limestone	W
White Hole	70	Limestone	SW
Winspit	199	Limestone	S

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Guidebook Correction

Dancing Ledge
Fire-Fox

James Clark22
23 Mar, 2023

A large block has fallen off this climb removing all of the first corner crack feature to the right of the narrow ledge. I don't know if this climb can still be done but if it can it's much harder than 5c. This could be 6c or harder now to mantle the narrow ledge and make it past the second bolt (at least I couldn't do it anyway).

Guidebook Correction

Battleship Back Cliff
Thin on Top
Samphire and Steel
More Soap, Less Shampoo

IsBrad
17 May, 2022

The topo for these three climbs are in the incorrect places within the Rockfax 2021 guidebook and the Rockfax App Line 14: "Thin on top" should be where line 15 "Samphire and Steel" is marked. There's no bolts where this route is marked. Line 15: "Samphire and Steel" should be where line 16 is marked Line 16: "More Soap, Less Shampoo" should be further over to the right

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Guidebook Correction

Battleship Back Cliff
Cat Juggling
Thin on Top
Samphire and Steel
More Soap, Less Shampoo

Alan James - Rockfax
22 Apr, 2022

Lines too far left in printed Dorset. Correct now on Rockfax Digital.

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