Rosa Gully North Side Rock climbing 22 routes in crag

Line on the left hand side (north) at the base of the steep narrow part of the gully. By car at base of steep section, 50m from the gully exit to the sea. Up on jugs (you can clip 1st bolt on Rainbow Connection and have your second unclip it later) and cross left onto ledge. up to ramp where you can pull on crimps or step right and to a hands off freakish slab. Then up easily through ledge and funkies up second ramp to anchor.

Check your rope length - might require a 70m.

Mixed climb linkup. Joins the start of Pornflakes into Hourglass using the succulent horizontal hand crack. Climb up Pornflakes for 2 bolts and head left along crack which takes small to medium cams. Make sure to place enough gear to keep you off the deck as you are not high up! Strenously join Hourglass at the third bolt and rejoice as you clip bolts to the top.

FA was done as a pinkpoint.

Pumpy! Extended with 20m of new climbing. About 40m back up the gully from the sea and 20m R of Rainbow Connection, below a chossy left tending flake. Up the flake moving left past 2 ledges. At top go right to hidden flake at anchor. Careful lowering and cleaning as it's very diagonal (leave 1st draw clipped then climb up and remove it) First crack was done as easy, scary trad (13!), extended by Eugene.

Long draws will cut drag.

Originally called 'Pornflakes' - Mikl's old rusted carrot can be seen on the first obvious ledge.

"A ficticious natural force". Originally a trad 18! Retrobolted and much saner. Awkward moves all the way. About 12m right of Pornflakes, and about 18m left of the ladder, on the left edge of an obvious orange wall with a crack running up the centre (SS).

Follow the cracks to a small roof, then head right and up to the top. heading left after the roof is easier and has its own bolt now.

Hard death route unless it gets rebolted. 2m right of V.

Head up the flake (manky BRs), then head left and up to a horizontal. Step right here and continue up (rotten BRs) then right again to a short crack.

Mike Law 1980s

Hard death route unless it gets rebolted. Below the obvious crack in the middle of the orange wall, about 6m left of the ladder. An enjoyable and technical little outing, but unfortunately the bolts are pretty far gone (for a change!).

Mike Law 1980s

Hard death route unless it gets rebolted. 1m right of SS. Head up and slightly right past break and corroded BRs. Continue to roof and finish up cracks.

Mike Law 1980s

This route (working title "The Frelling Wall") was abandoned when a large chunk of rock fell off and nearly brained the belayer (and made the route significantly harder - 24/25). It also seeps a lot. If you want to have go before the rest falls into the sea, all yours.

Up the flake to the roof, then blast out right onto great rock aiming for a rail, then up to meet the Tourist Route.

Bolted

Nice rock and gear. Start below the corner 5m right of TC and 3m left of ladder.

1. 15m (16) Up the corner (sling runner possible), onto 2nd big ledge and continue up cracks (crux) heading left at top (avoid the super easy corner on left). Lower off at 15m

2. 30m (15) Not worth doing this pitch, Continue up and slightly left on ledges.

Has a monster traverse along the lip of a roof. 3 good trad pitches and a wandery one.

1. 15m Start up Tourist Route, and then step right to crack on lip and up to belay on 2 rings.

2. 25m (16) Up wall past 2 bolts to mantel (little cams on right) and up to ledge (bolt to protect second). Walk left 10m and up tricky corner to belay at first step, 6m up. (There are highline anchors on top of the next block)

3. 20m (19) Traverse right 15m along fist sized horizontal (many cams) above space to skyline, then up little corner and bolt to mantel at more highline anchors. Streno.

4. 10m (19) walk up to bulge behind. Start right of fallen boulders. Up into 'hook' and up, right 1.5m to only finishing hold. Streno

The following climbs all start either above or below the walk around ledge (which is accessed by the ladder that is located just here). Take care on the ladder...

Climbs the rightmost of the 3 cracks through the roof. Doddle up ladder, then continue slightly left and up to roof. Jam through this up the thin crack then continue up to cave (manky BB), or traverse left to loweroff on Tourist Route.

1. 10m Climb face crack 10m R of the ladder. Tricky first move to good wire. A nice pitch of 17

2. 12m Stick clip bolt then up corner, good hand sized cam on right arete at top, then left to lower off.

On the walk around ledge, 30m right of the ladder, below an arete. The original description describes this climb as "coronary country". I hate to think what it must be like now, after 40 more years of weathering!

1. 20m (21) Jump to gain wall, then dangle right and up (BR) to corner. Follow arete to ledge (corroded BB).

2. 20m (19) Head up and left and follow scrappy corners to the top.

Full scale multipitch, seacliff atmosphere with modern protection. Originally done as a 4 pitch trad route, the top pitch is a chossy mess, and pitch one (described separately) is a good trad problem, so this is the middle 2 pitches. It climbs a slightly suspect flake, gear in the flake will tend to loosen it, so bolts on the left keep you and the rope out of the way if big edges come off the flake (I used double ropes). If the flake decides to go for a walk you're all dead anyway. Start by climbing the ladder and walking past the first arete (Posturing). After another 12m you scramble over a boulder and there's a small corner.

1. 12m (20) Hard start up the corner and traverse right to the arete, up onto belay ledge.

2. 18m (18) Head right past loose block (one already gone!) to right side of flake and layback up it. At the top head right to the corner and up to the belay.

To descend do a 30m rap back to the ledge. The rap overhangs the ledge slightly so you can bounce wildy and hope for the best, but better if the first person down clips the rap rope into the top 2 runners down P2 so they can get left and down to the walk round ledge. Next down takes the draws off and gets pulled (or bounces) onto the ledge.

Trad first pitch, great rock and a bit punchy. Walk around at low tide, or rap down from ledge straight below Obscurity. Start just left of a finger undercling flake (A Certain Flare).

The obvious smooth flake, 2m right of Obscurity trad pitch (down at sea level)

1. Climb the flake to the walk around ledge. May be a lot easier with modern small cams

Warning Access: Potential fines. Rappelling might not be an option.

Fun sea sport cliffing with the usual mix of choss and pleasure. Loses the sun in summer by 11am. Retrobolts half of the first pitch of Karen's Climb then does a long direct finish. Take about 11 draws and 2 slings for belays.

Several climbers has been threatened with fines by police for climbing this route (September 2019). The police are called out because locals think climbers are suicidal people ready to jump. Police deal with over 50 suicides a year along this coastline. Wear climbing helmets and try and look like a climber as much as possible. When belaying at the top be friendly to people walking past. It's best to rap back down the route rather than climb the fence and walk off.

Down Rosa Gully and up the ladder, then walk along the ledge 15m above the sea for 100m to a small honeycombed ramp about 40m R of Obscurity (ringbolted corner).

1. 28m (19) Up ramp to weird mantel then up and left to belay. Originally given 15 on trad!

2. 12m (18) Leftwards below choss and up right to belay.

3. 10m (20) Up to roof and a few stiff moves. Double U belay. Small 'stile' to help you over the sharp picket fence.

Start below right tending ramp, just past the arete approximately 60m right of aCF (approx. 100m from the ladder). Scary. The first pitch has been retrobolted as Part of the Last wave

1. 15m (18) Up ramp , step right around the arete, then follow the thin crack up to a belay ledge all Ubolts now.

2. 30m Follow corner for approximately 5m, then easily left to belay on slab below roof (manky BB).

3. 30m Climb up slab and V crack then left to ledge. Head straight up from here, then step right to another crack. Follow this to the top.

Mikl Law 1970's

Hard death route unless it gets rebolted. About 3m right of KC.

1. 40m (21) Climb up, veering left to bulge (crux). After this, continue up and right past assorted fixed protection (all badly weathered) to belay in a corner that breaks through the rooves (manky BB).

2. 30m Head up corner, then traverse left around the arete and on for about 8m. Wander up to top.

Mikl Law 1980's