Nodes em Cottage Point

The name is abit of a misnomer, as the crag is not at Cottage Point, but it is simply the first developed area along the rock strewn Cottage Point Road. On the plus side, this crag has excellent access, a large number of quality problems on generally good clean high friction rock, and a variety of styles and grades, all in a generally quick drying open natural amphitheatre. However, this last point can be Cottage Point's downside; West facing, the place can become a veritable oven. If the sun is out, even in winter, this place will be baking. If you are after a tan you'll love it, otherwise overcast breezy days are the best. Don't be put off, this is a great bouldering area with some excellent problems and if you pick your days it can be enjoyed year round.

This area has become quite overgrown as of 2023. Most problems on the Meat Substitute Wall are unclimbable as the landing areas are a thicket of grass trees.

This cute little wall has some fun safe-ish problems and is a good place to start your day.

Start in head high breaks on the right side of the wall. Easy moves lead to a challenging mantle. Fun.

About 1.5m off the ground is a letter box pocket. Use it.

Cute. Up the jugs right of the scoop, sit start.

Start low on the right hand side of the scoop, then continue straight up. Needless to say the big ledge for your feet is not in. Fun.

Low start on the right hand side of the scoop, up and left through the scoop. The big foot ledge is obviously off. Good climbing.

Up the faint prow that is the left hand side of the scoop. The foot ledge is in. Cute.

Start 1m left of the scoop at the base of the obvious pockets an breaks. Up via pockets, rib and an edge. Both foot ledges are off. Desperate.

This 4m high wall is steep and orange with a big overhang in the middle. Argonaut Wall dries quickly after rain and is almost always in the sun. The problems here are burly numbers that do not let up, with good landings. The top outs can be a bit sandy but a light brush with a dust pan brush prior to an ascent should solve that. The unclimbed wall to the right of "Phil And His Flying Circus" would suit some ultralight freak looking for first ascents. The rest of us, even if we could even grab those flakes, would probably rip them straight off.

Not great. Start in the bottom of the corner and move right to finish.

Start in the obvious pockets 1m right of scoop. Up left to the next pockets, then straight for the top. Committing, powerful and good.

This is what you've been sailing for. From the pockets right of the scoop, up and keep traversing left to the orange jug, then straight up to the v-shaped groove at the top. Excellent for the grade.

Reach up and grab the big jug in the break on the right side of the overhang. Blast out and left via slopers and pinches to a powerful contorting press. The break below the finish of Golden Fleece is off. Check out the futuristic sit start. Absolute classic.

The prow left of the orange scoop. A big crank to a sold mantle. Hint: reach for that seam. Good.

Same start as "Jason And The Argonauts" except from the first hold traverse left and across into the next scoop and up. Thuggy, though perhaps slightly easier than "Jason And The Argonauts" - at least the mantle is. Good.

More of a low roof than a wall. About 50m past Argonaut Wall, near the apex of the amphitheatre is a low (1.5m high) roof. This is home to a few short grunty things.

There is an obvious v-shape in the lip on the right hand end of the roof. This problem finishes 2m left of this feature. Sit start on a grey jug, then up to a thin break and reeeeach out and over. Painful but good.

2m left of "The Other White Meat". Start in the break, out to an undercling and through. Fun.

Horrible stuff, the problem is only slightly better. Sit down then grovel up the runnel, finish left.

3m left of the runnel there is a pocketty scoop on the lip of the roof. Underneath and slightly left there is a couple of thin crimpy pockets and a ledge for your feet. Wrestle your way out the roof and over for glory. Good.

Excellent, can hardly tell the difference. Start on the pocketty feature at the base of the faint arete. Up and right to the top.

The slopey break to the top.

Roughly in the middle of the crag is a nice big shady cave - on a hot day you won't want to leave its sanctuary. It also makes a good spot to escape occasional showers while waiting for the rock to dry. The cave has some beautiful pieces of rock, unfortunately not really climbable besides the odd traverse. Admire these perfect bands of rock, this is what Sissy Crag was like before the chalky hordes.

A pretty pocketty wall, but a desperate and unpleasant start.

Step on the boulder and grab the highest possible holds on the arete, then follow the leaning arete to the top. Bad landing.

Step off the boulder with your hands in a thin break. Move left over the rooflet and up. Very nice, but get a good spot.

Huge! Start on the overhead little pockets 3m left of the weeping roof crack. Up into a big hold, then traverse right to the other side of the crack, before tackling the headwall. Take a cut lunch for this big adventure. What could it be, but good fun.

Very nice indeed. Starts 4m right of the corner on the overhead pocketty break above a little roof. Up on small, but positive pockets. Check out the optimistic sit start - be warned that the mono is a physiotherapist's dream.

Sit start with your hands on the low ledge, then up the line of pockets and edges. Excellent.

Up pockets left of the corner.

Stand on the small rock to reach the jugs at the lip of the roof, then up on large pockets to tree.

This 3-4m high wall hosts some very fun climbing. The general picture involves cruising up on large hueco-esque pockets which start disappearing near the top, as does your view of all those big footholds - remember where they are!

Small and fierce, yet strangely alluring. Tackles the small wall right of the Pocketty Wall. Big feature, then top? Fun.

Up the faint arete, consciously taking note of the footholds. Good.

Up. Very nice.

Up. Very nice.

The next level. Up the faint arete on big pockets to a tough top. Technical and excellent.

On the right side of the orange wall, go up the left side of the arete. Fun.

Committing and a real crowd pleaser. Stand up on the ledge at the base of the orange wall below the big roof (slightly right of centre). Fly for the big break and traverse right to finish. Feeling invincible? Check out the jump from the big boulder behind you to the lip of the roof, then check out the landing.

The next bunch of problems are on the somewhat fin-like large block sitting in front of the large roof.

At the Southern end of the boulder. Start low on the leaning arete right of the overhanging face, traverse the arete all the way around to the slab on the other side. Good fun.

Pick some solidish holds low in the orange overhanging choss, then up rightish to the weakness on the lip and mantle. Pleasant enough.

Start standing above the big white sandy hole with your hands in the scoop. Move slightly right and up. Tougher than it looks. Good.

Full of variety. From the 4 finger pocket above the white sandy scoop, crank up and onto the slab, then delicately to the top. Good.

Start at the base of the overlap, then up the relaxing slab - if you don't mind a loose hold or two.

Climb the slab 1m left of the overlap, slightly tougher than "Air On A G-String".

Up the feature on the Northern end of The Fin.

A very short boulder (not a?) problem. Up over the overlap of the small boulder leaning against The Fin.

The Cottage Cheese area is about 15m past The Fin. It is the 5m wide, 4m high overhang which in its middle is more of a roof. Despite its name, the rock here is solid and clean and the problems powerful. The cliff line continues past Cottage Cheese for quite some way, a few problems have been done over here, none particularly of note. If you have climbed the area out, it is certainly worth exploring this vast expanse of rock - you may even uncover a gem or two.

You will need the low fat variety for this baby. Start on the feature on the far right hand side of the overhang, then up and powerfully leftish through the bulge. Tough and good.

Grab the holds at the base of the feature in the middle of the overhang and good luck! Explosive fun.

Yes please. Slopers to the top.