Climbs 11
Rocktype Sandstone (soft)
Faces S
Fairlight Cliffs © Tom Last
Crag features
BEFORE CLIMBING PLEASE READ THE SOUTHERN SANDSTONE CLIMBING GUIDELINES AND PLEASE ADHERE TO THEM: http://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmcNews/media/u_content/File/access_conservation/southern_sandstone/ssc05_print.pdf
The safest climbing to be had here is some low level bouldering just below Ecclesbourne Glen. See access notes for more details and how to approach it.
It comprises of routes up to around 3.5m high and the outcrop stretches for a couple of hundred metres. The sandstone is probably the hardest southern sandstone around as it is weathered by the sea when the tide comes in, leaving only the tough rock behind, although it is still very friable and slippy in places. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!
Due to it's unusual weathering it also has a different variety of holds compared to other southern sandstone crags, with much more crimps and less slopers.
The bouldering routes are generally low in grade and most people would probably class them a low in quality, but I find the area quite fun and it's certainly the best thing in the Hastings locality.
Incredible as it may seem, apparently, there is both trad and "winter" (aka soft sandstone) climbing here according to the BMC and the southern sandstone guidebook. Although, I really would not reccommend it, it looks lethal and extremely friable, like climbing on a very high pile of dust. The soft climbing is really on clay. Single- and multi-pitch routes up to 4,100ft (that's 33 pitches) for a clay grade IV. Warthogs and ice screws may work as protection - or not. In my opinion no protection could reliably hold a fall here. Do not underestimate the seriousness here.
Approach notes
Restrictions apply from 1 March - 31 July due to Nesting Birds.
WARNING: ALL THESE CLIMBS ARE TIDAL AND THERE IS THE DISTINCT POSSIBILTY OF GETTING CUT OFF BY THE TIDE IF YOU MISS THE TIDAL WINDOW. IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE SAFE TWO HOURS EACH SIDE OF LOW TIDE, ALTHOUGH THIS IS VARIABLE DEPENDING ON WEATHER CONDITIONS AND TIDE HEIGHTS.
At the east end of Hastings is a car park (signposted Rock-a-Nore). About 50 metres down Rock-a-Nore road is a closed tram/railway lift going up the hill. This is the site of the first climb (although climbing it is banned - see description above).
To approach the bouldering area head to the end of the car park (far east) and climb (not really a climb, easy) down to the beach. There are a number of boulders all the way along this beach, although you have to head due east for about 15 minutes to find any routes of a respectable height (up to about 3.5m). This bouldering area is plainly obvious, forming the bottom of the cliff, the outcrop stretches up to the waterfall below Ecclesbourne Glen. It is a couple of hundred metres long with plenty of routes. Most routes can be topped out and have easy ways of getting down.
Call the coastguard before starting any chalk excursions - 01323 20634.
The coastguards at the Dover Maritime Rescue Co-ordinating Centre (MRCC), should also be phoned on (01304) 210008 before and after climbing.
No Access Issues
There are a number of different sized crags of varying quality from friable to lethal, with climbs using rock and/or ice-climbing techniques. Unsurprisingly, none of the climbs have attained popularity. The largest cliffs are those between Ecclesbourne Glen and Fairlight Glen (where mudslides are not uncommon). Apart from the bouldering west of Ecclesbourne Glen, no activity is known to have taken place in this area for the last ten years - since the first ascents. The guidebook descriptions should, therefore, be treated with particular caution. The coastguards at the Dover Maritime Rescue Co-ordinating Centre (MRCC), should be phoned on (01304) 210008 before and after climbing. The cliffs from Hastings to Pett Beach have been designated as an SSSI because of great geological and biological importance. Its palaeobotanical and vertebrate fossils are some of the best examples of their type in the world, while two sections of the cliffs show a complex pattern of faults. A number of habitats are represented including ancient woodland, scrub, maritime grassland and a vegetated shingle beach. These support a number of rare bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), lichens, and choleoptera.
Seasonal Restrictions
Reason: Nesting Birds
Permanent Restriction. CLIMBING IS BANNED on the highly visible Railway Crack on East Hill, on which all known ascents have been met by officials at the top.
| Once past the car park and on the beach these areas are all tidal and there have been some landslips here recently including some of the areas seen in the pics so extreme caution is advised. ajandlisaj - 18/May/14 |
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| Some photos here of the cliffs:
http://leeharrisonclimbing.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/hastings.html
Note that there is a peregrin Falcon nesting in the area but no formal bird bans are in place given the total lack of climbing activity. I am not sure of the exact nesting location. I will let the BMC know all the same. Mr. Lee - 09/May/13 |
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| I don't why there's a warning about all of the climbs being tidal, is it taken from the CC guide? Anyway, certainly none (with the exception of RTBF) of the routes in the photos that I have taken are in any way tidal, set as they are either actually in town or at the top of a big grassy slope. They are however all a bit grim. Tom Last - 20/Apr/10 |
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.