Climbs 82
Rocktype Limestone
Altitude 36m a.s.l
Faces W
Unknown climber on No Man is an Island, F6c © Jus
Crag features
For most people the Battleship Edge is the starting point for exploring the west coast of Portland's huge supply of routes. It is an extremely friendly and inviting place. The gleaming white and grey-streaked faces and striking grooves are peppered with bolts. After the huge landslip of 2014 the old approach is no longer useable, and the crag base is not quite as grassy and friendly as it used to be. The routes remain unchanged though and offer the same quality especially in the mid grades.
Due to a landslip in early 2014, the ground level under routes left of Evening Falls has dropped 30ft. These routes are currently unclimbable and will need extensive cleaning and extra bolts added.
Approach notes
The Battleship cliffs are easy to reach from parking spots on Reap Lane, just to the south of Weston. Drive through Weston to a small roundabout and turn right into Reap Lane and park on the roadside beyond the traffic-calming installation (150m after the roundabout). Do not park directly outside the houses if at all possible and do not change clothes or loiter in front of the houses.
From the first traffic-calming installation, pick up a fenced path that heads towards the cliff-top. At the junction with the cliff-top path, head slightly rightwards, and then take one of two steep paths down the hillside. The Battleship Edge is on the left.
The original descent has been destroyed by a landslide. There is now a descent with a chain handrail that brings you down in the gap between battleship edge and the backwall.
No Access Issues
The crags take very little seepage and have everything from long, steep stamina pitches on the Back Cliff to slabby, low grade lines on Battleship Block, a huge variety of route on Battleship Edge and the newest additions of The Attic, The Balcony and The Veranda which provide short but popular mid grade routes. Battleship Edge and Back Cliff face west and catch afternoon and evening sun, whilst the Block gets morning sun and provides welcome shade on hot afternoons.
Underneath the main crags are a collection of large boulders with many good problems to explore, but landings are typically very rocky for bouldering mats are essential.
| Added another bolt to the top of Monoculture. Easier climbing but a 6m run out. I asked Pete Oxley first if that would be ok. Wayne.Gaudin - 19/Jun/21 |
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| Great crag, but do not listen to the 2012 Dorset guidebook access notes (follow those provided on here. The two steep paths it suggests taking are no longer existent following the rockfall and are extremely dangerous, they appear okay at first but end very abruptly with a large drop down the cliff. Robheirene - 13/Jul/15 |
Climbs at this crag
| Name | Grade | Stars | Type | Logs | Partner Ascents |
|---|
These climbs you have climbed by seconding or top-roping.
These climbs you have Dogged.
These climbs you Did not Finish.
Climbs are waiting to be checked by a crag moderator, and may not be accurate. Climbs can't be verified by a crag moderator, and they need more information to confirm it. Climbs are no longer climbable.
Moderators Updates to this page are checked by UKC volunteers Marti999 and sam.sam.sam.ferguson