UKC

Climbs 4
Rocktype Limestone
Altitude 223m a.s.l

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Coaley Wood Crag Uley © terragait

Crag features

Details of crag unknown looking for beta.

I recon the crag is about 30 to 40ft, it's certainly higher than Castle Rock at Cleeve. I would say the whole face is about 50m wide maybe more. There is what looks like a cave system blocked off with a iron grate. i'm not sure how much of this crag is a very old quarry for local stone. the whole crag needs a fair bit of gardening but it is roughly west facing so would dry out quite quick. I've asked a couple of local climbers about it before but it doesn't appear to be on anyones radar.
There is a large house above just set back off the edge, so i'm unsure of ownership.
Terragait

Approach notes

Small car park near Uley hill fort, take right hand path from car park follow edge of escarpment. Scrubby undergrowth.
Acess for anchors at top unknown.

Update this Crag
Last updated on 11/Sep/2023
Video@ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZnv0CcdnQQ&t=51s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkzhwufPXds
Realtime82 - 03/Jan/20
Better late than never - I finally got around to uploading and updating new routing at this little known crag from our cleaning/ projecting way back when in 2013/14. I have awesome memories of the work and fun involved in developing this outcrop on the Cotswold Way National Trail with my partner in crime and the crew. The rock is oolitic limestone, typical to the area, and varies in its quality and suitability for climbing, especially traditionally protected routes. Yet following substantial effort we succeeded in cleaning up the obvious lines on offer. Some loose rock will still exist and extra care should be taken too in placing protection. Passive protection is usually the best option here! Graded accordingly. The crag hosts a number of Jackdaws, nesting usually from April through to mid June so please pay respect and avoid these times. The rock is quite condition dependent and generally the cooler the better - a breeze will often cut through any humidity in warmer months. With limited climbing in the Cotswolds it was amazing to find such a beautiful spot to meet up, stay psyched and uncover some pretty cool moves, albeit on some esoteric stone. Enjoy! FTC
Realtime82 - 02/Jan/20
There is some reasonable rock there, as said before lots of loose stuff. Had an enjoyable half hour doing some bouldering on the lower half. Don't reckon its worth driving more than 10 mins to get here though!! Its not on this site but the Haresfield rock is better in my opinion (although smaller), which is only 20 minutes from Coaley.
daveth - 22/May/09
Apparently the area is an SSSI. It is managed by the Woodland Trust. I believe the gratings on the caves re there to protect Greater Horseshoe bats, although I'm told they mainly roost there in winter..
d_b - 22/Apr/09
Sorry about the formatting there. UKC ate all my line breaks. Bah!
d_b - 22/Apr/09
I went back for a proper look with TraceyR yesterday. Looked like a bit of a mixed bag to me. The bottom part of the crag seems to be a soft sandstone with the odd bit of flowstone. There is some loose stuff, but with a bit of cleaning it would be quite climbable. Not sure how it would cope with metal gear, but top roping or using knotted slings might be viable. Unfortunately the top quarter or so is very loose limestone*, which looked very dodgy to climb on and offers significant rockfall potential. There was evidence of recent rockfall all around the crag. Our conclusion was that topping out would be a nightmare, and there are enough large, loose pieces in the top section to make it quite hazardous to climb or belay near the lower part. The choss band looked as though it was inherently loose stuff, so cleaning would probably have little long term effect. I took some pictures, which I will be uploading as soon as I get around to it. *The sign board at Uley Bury identified it as the "cephlapod bed". Bloody squid!
d_b - 22/Apr/09
I had a look earlier as I was passing. Looks quite chossy, but I thought there were a couple of lines with potential.
d_b - 14/Mar/09
Had a quick look today. Too soft and crumbly to climb on i reckon. Shame because its quite substantial.certainly doesnt look like anyones climbed there before.
The Pylon King - 08/Mar/09
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