UKC

Climbs 17
Rocktype Conglomerate
Altitude 193m a.s.l
Faces SE

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Greg enjoying the sun and exposure on the second pitch of Ithaca, Princess Cairn © sebrider

Crag features

A good newly developed crag with nice routes ranging form 4 to 6c+, including a multi pitch sport route (2 pitch) and fine views over Loch Fleet. The rock is a good and solid conglomerate featuring slabs and some fierce overlapps. Some routes have some lichen but should become cleaner over time. The crag is all bolted with stainless steel bolts and hangers.

Note that you will need at least a 40m rope to do most of the routes and a 60m rope if attempting Ithaca which is the 2-pitch route up the whole face.
About 25m from the parking area by the cattle grid is a boulder with a few routes, if you can find it!

Approach notes

Park by the cattle grid on the Lochbuie road (junction just south of the Mound Causeway) just off the A9. Hike SW up the forested ridge, the crag will appear on the right, 20min. Do not get confused with the chossy overgrown crags just visible from the cattle grid.

In the summer the first part of the approach is covered with very tall bracken and is impassible without some kind of brush hook or pruning tool to make a path.

Alternatively, it is possible to take the well-maintained track that skirts round the south side of Cambusmore Lodge and heads up the hill to a small monument, from which it is about 5 minutes walking to the crag. There is about a 600m walk along the verge of the A9 from the Mound.  This avoids the bushwhacking of the other approach, and probably takes about 25 minutes on the ascent. Some people are put off the crag by the approach.  

No Access Issues

Park by the cattle grid on the Lochbuie road (juntcion just south of the Mound Causeway) just off the A9. Hike SW up the forested ridge, the crag will appear on the right, 20min. Do not get confused with the chossy overgrown crags just visible from the cattle grid.

We just visited this Crag in July and the bracken was CRAZY TALL on the first section of the approach. We had to hack our way through 5ft tall stems with a brush hook to make any progress up to the left of the first crags at road level. Took 1.5hrs to get to the crag! On the way back we took our chances and followed the obvious track down into the Cambusmore estate and just brass necked it out to the main road! The actual crag was fine with good bolts and some nice climbs and of course fantastic views, so kudos to whoever had the vision to bolt this crag. It's a real struggle to get there in the summertime though.
drconline - 01/Aug/19
There are two routes through the trees and bracken at the bottom. Head in from the cattle grid and go to the right and along past over gorwn boulders. Then continue up through the trees and you will find sheep trails leading up the hill. Follow these up the hill and out the trees and you will eventually see the crag. This approach is steeper and is usually the route that i take on the way down but its got a lot less bracken in the summer. The other route is to go left from the cattle grid and take a less steep wandering route up through the trees. Its better in winter but a nightmare when the bracken is six foot high.
GregC - 18/Sep/15
The bracken gets rather thick in the summer and does hamper progress somewhat but there are ways to avoid the worst by going higher along the slope. The best approach is impossible to describe so I won't attempt it! I did the walk many times with bolting kit, the only time it took a very long time was with a 4 stroke generator we affectionately called Dirty Jenny! It never took 40min otherwise.
sebrider - 03/Aug/15
Guidebook approach is vague. Park at cattle grid but walk to the next layby and head into the trees there. Expect to do some serious jungle bashing and its only 20 minutes to the crag once it first appears on the hill, expect 40 minutes and to get wet if its been raining.
Steve Perry - 12/Jul/15
Dirty Jenny is now clean! Lots of Bracken during the dummer on the walk in but there is a faint path.
sebrider - 20/Jul/13
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