Routes in Heathcliff

A good 110m 4-pitch gear route around the south side of Heathcliff. Bring a double set of wires and cams (a #4 cam is useful for the roof traverse on P2, but not required as there is smaller gear nearby). Beware of some loose rock on all pitches, particularly the large death block midway up p1 on the left.

Access as for Heathcliff. After the final creek crossing the trail traverses below the cliffline. Unearthed is the first major crack system (initially a thin open-book corner) you will encounter.

1. 20m (18) Up corner crack, belay at second shale band beneath roof crack.

2. 20m (19) Rightward traverse under roof with feeling. Pull the corner, up to ledge.

3. 40m (19-20) Steep crack to easy gully. Belay below yellow/orange corner.

4. 20m (19) There are several finishes, but direct up the corner is good, despite the poor looking rock. Belay off carrots on top. Walk off.

P4) Up crack and left at top. Good rock (!), pro and climbing. Best pitch of the route.

Start in the same corner as 'Unearthed'

110m multi-pitch. Undercut corner 8m left of 'Unearthed'.

1. 20m (20M1)

2. 40m (22)

3. 15m (18)

Undercut corner 20m left of 'Unearthed'

First two pitches are sport on rings, gear is needed for the third pitch.

1. 20m (22)

2. 18m (20)

3. 22m (25)

Start: At left end of the crag.

Up the middle of the wall about 10m right of a big corner. Very hard start direct at the first bolt in the black stuff (long move to small pocket) - then traverse left and up easy ground (ground fall potential) to ledge and good orange stuff. Up the shared section with XX then take the long rightwards trending line for miles... long runners very useful to reduce rope drag.

This is an access pitch to the next three routes. Start below a big pillar on the wall about 10m up.

The left line of the four. Use many long runners, including slings, to reduce rope drag if climbing from the ground in one pitch. Can be cleaned with a single 70m - just. Upgraded from 23 to 24 after hold broke in 2013 (thanks Adski!)

Note: As at 18 Nov, 2019, there are raptors (of the avian variety) nesting nearby. Please avoid.

The middle line and pick of the three.

The right line of the three.

First 4 bolts of Pete Rhodes then right traverse along flake and up up up long orange wall. Use a long runner on bolt 4 and 6 to help reduce rope drag. Lowering off fine on a 70m rope.

Crack to chains.

1. 25m (20)

2. 20m

3. 15m

1. 18m (18) Start as per 'The Rift', a few moves on the slab then left up the ramp, on to wall.

2. 20m (19) Up the wall on pockets and breaks. Trend right near the top. (can be linked with pitch 1)

3. 22m (20) Up vague corner, then left to arete. All the way to the top on carrots or finish up pitch 3 of the Rift if you don't have any bolt plates.

Start: 10m left of the large block that leans on the main face.

1. 20m (19) Up slab.

2. 20m (18) Up wall to ledge.

3. 15m (17) Up arete

If you climb with double 50's you can abseil straight off the rings. A 50m rope reaches the ground.

A great adventure mixing well protected trad climbing and bolted wall climbing. The top pitch has a lot of hangerless carrot bolts - you will need at minimum 10 bolt plates (probably more). It is possible to link the pitches if you use long runners. Starts just left of the block.

1. 25m (20) Thin crack that protects well with lots of wires & medium cams for 15m then 4 carrot bolts to hanging belay.

2. 30m (17) Right a bit off the belay then back left and up long wall to belay at the very top of the cliff at the rap descent chains. All bolts on this pitch.

Confusingly this is not listed in the 2015 print guide, and is regularly mistaken for Chip Off the Old Block. Step off centre of block up shallow dihedral to shared anchors with 'Chip Off the Old Block'.

Start: Off the top of the block. Stepping right onto slab

Traverse left then up wall past carrots.

Start: At the top of Chip Off The Old Block.

Up crack with natural protection then past 6 carrots to ledge and anchor as for "Chip Off The Old Block"

Start: At obvious left facing crack 10m right of block.

Start: As for 'Plumbers Crack' .

1. 30m (17)

2. 25m (18)

3. 25m (19)

1. 25m (22) Hard start on tiny incuts.

2. 25m (20) Up on good rock. Take 1 bolt plate, the rest are rings. You can JUST make it back to the ground with a doubled 80m rope. Hurray!

As for "Pumpkin Puree" then right line of rings to ledge and DRBB

5m left of "Thing 2". Thin, fingery wall to vague flakeline, then left and up through interesting holds and feature.

Good!

1. 17m (22) Up 'Flake' right and up to belay.

2. 48m (20) Follow carrots and rings to top. Only 3 bolt plates required.

Diagonal Crack. Join pitch 1 of this with pitch 2 of next route for classy two pitch 20.

1. 28m (20) Crack past 6 carrots and #1 & #3 friends to rings.

2. 32m (21) Up right to slab and rings

A good long adventure - most people link the first two pitches and ignore the top one. To clean requires a mid-height re-thread using a 70m rope. Start at slab 5m left of 'Bad Blood'

1. 23m (22) Thin moves up slab past 9 rings to anchor

2. 25m (23) 'Steep' climbing through a small roof to a 2 ring belay

3. 15m (15) Easy to top but runout! No rap anchor at top.

Start at far right end of cliff under a patch of orange rock. Bad blood is the left line of bolts. Pitches can be linked easily using a single 70m rope for lower-off.

1. 25m (19) Hard move off the ground then up groove and juggy wall

2. 20m (22) Straight up steep Wall

Start: as for BB then right line of bolts

1. 30m (18)

2. 40m (10)

Start: at 2nd pitch belay of Boadicea.

Take lots of plates.