Brean Down

Climbs 75
Rocktype Limestone
Altitude Tidal
Faces S

Sun setting over Brean © westyb3

Crag features

South-facing limestone sea cliff, with a range of mainly harder routes. Excellent winter venue. Rock quality good, despite reports of the opposite. Some bolt protected climbs on the back wall of the Boulder Cave.

Approach notes

Tidal. The base of most of the cliffs can be reached except within one or two hours of high tide.

From the A38 or M5 jct 22, take the B3140 to Burham-On-Sea and Berrow from where a minor road runs northwards to a car park below the Down. Don't be tempted to drive across the sands to the base of the cliffs themselves - your car will get stuck, and the tide will do the rest.

The routes at the back wall of Boulder Cave can be reached by abseil at any state of the tide.

The National Trust owns Brean Down and asks climbers to avoid the sand 'cliff' and the rocks adjacent to it, where archaeological finds have been discovered recently

Update this Crag

Last updated on 22/Jun/2017

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Guidebooks

West Country Climbs

West Country Climbs is a major Rockfax guide to one of the UK’s most celebrated, sunny and diverse climbing regions. The book is fashioned in Rockfax’s award-winning layout and design, and copiously illustrated with action photographs of the climbs and cliffs that reflect the quality and variety of climbing experiences to be had on offer in the UK’s most popular holiday destination - the West Country. This is a selected route and buttress guidebook which covers the best 900 routes from the crags listed below.

More info

More Guidebooks:
South West Climbs - Volume 1 (2012)
Avon and Cheddar (2004)

Out of print:

Avon and Cheddar (1992)

Update Guidebooks

a truely perfect winter venue from today's experience. Stanners - 11/Jan/12
Great crag look forward go returniv and gettng some more quality routes. Is this crag a bit soft though? Goonie - 14/Jun/10
Despite fear of making this crag even busier, I have to say Brean has again offered a still and dry spot while the rest of the UK suffered from howling winds and heavy bands of rain. Thank you microclimate. Jon_Warner - 22/Nov/08
"... not strictly speaking sport climbs..." There's a fine collection of safe-as-houses sport routes. Well worth the trip - check out Mark Glaister's article on this website. Jus - 01/Jul/05
the fort crags are well worth checking out although only about 30ft in height the rock quality is superb, excellent textured rock superb friction and good gear. A nice esoteric spot. dylan burgess - 25/Aug/04
Cyclop's Slab (HVS), contrary to many guide books, has no stake or tree belays anymore, except a very long way away. Make sure you have plenty of spare rope, or a spare. Mark Maynard - 27/Nov/02

Climbs at this crag

	Climb name		Grade
1	Lone Shark	-	E3 6a	1
2	Lend-a-hand	-	HS 4a	1
3	Borrowed Time	-	E1 5c
4	Inwardly Extrovert	-	S	1
5	Do you get Vouchers with This?		5c	164
6	Brean Dream		6a+ *	624
7	Kraken		6b+ *	581
8	Bikini Atoll		6c+	355
9	Coral Sea		6c **	877
10	Chepito		7a **	752
11	Pearl Harbour		7a ***	797
12	Tide Rising		7b+ **	320
13	Three Snaps to Heaven		E6 6a	4
14	Torpedo	-	E2 5b	6
15	Vets' Wall		7b	14
16	Sargasso Seamonster		7a+	16
17	Achtung Torpedo!		E5 6b
18	A Heavy Read		6b	114
19	Clashing Socks		7b *	198
20	Kamikaze		E5 6a
21	Black Snake Moan		8a **	95
22	Brean Topping		8b ***	36
23	Storm Warning		7c+ ***	110
24	Storm Warning Variation		8a **	67
25	Chulilla		7b+ ***	334

	Climb name		Grade
26	Prisoner of Conscience		7b+ *	97
27	The Guilt Edge		7c **	43
28	Prisoner of Bullworker		7c+ **	37
29	The Milky Bar Kid		8a *	34
30	Prison Break		6c+ **	21
31	Bullworker		7c **	127
32	Global Solutions		7c *	19
33	El Chocco		7c ***	161
34	The Root of Inequity		7a+ **	247
35	Casino Royale		7b+	50
36	Yer Yella!		E5 6a **	9
37	Leaving Hanoi		6c	21
38	Leaving Aviva		7a+	10
39	What the Hell is a Womper?		6b+	10
40	Distant Voices		E3 6a *	4
41	Pinnacle Cracks	-	S	3
42	Cove arete		E6 6b **	2
43	Great Corner		E2 5a *	22
44	Eso Ego Wall	-	E5 5c	1
45	The Tennis Elbow Club	-	E5 6a	1
46	Bones Chimney		E4 5c *	2
47	Cyclops Slab		HVS 4c *	43
48	Brean Team Special		E6 6b ***	2
49	Cyclops Gatepost	-	VD	2
50	Pretty Boy Floyd	-	E2 5a	2

	Climb name		Grade
51	Idiot Wind	-	E1 5a	4
52	Force Ten	-	E4 6a **	2
53	Iraqi War Machine		E6 6b **	1
54	Brean Machine		E5 6b **	3
55	Arthur Scargils Hair Piece	-	E1 5b	1
56	Chepito / Coral Sea Variant		7a+ *	9
57	Castro's corner	-	HS	1
58	The Manly option		7c **	5
59	Rip tide		7a+ **	15
60	The Leveller		E5 6a	2
61	Pandora's Box		VS 4c *	83
62	Crack o'Diamonds		E3 6a	3
63	Throwaway Society		E5 6a	2
64	Unhalfbricking.		D	3
65	Matty Groves.		M	2
66	Leige and Lief.		S	1
67	L'Attraction Fatale		7c ***	21
68	Snakes 'n' Wankers		8b *	1
69	Chuli Did It		7c ***	12
70	Cycle of Despair		8a+ **	2
71	Despair		7c+	4
72	Does Chuli have a Conscience		7a+ **	12
73	Chepito Harbour *		7a+ **	7
74	Anne Robinson, You Are The Weakes Link *		7a ***	1
75	Haven *	-	D	1

* Climbs listed in red are waiting to be checked by a crag moderator, and may not be accurate.

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