Hummell Rocks (Gullane) - Get Lucky link

 

Get Lucky - Sit-start as per 'Dumb Luck' but instead of going up, continue to traverse on poorer holds to reach the lip of the 'Mini-roof'. Follow that line rightwards to bridge back to Neanderthal and climb down easily to finish. 6b-ish?

Bouldering in Ard Scalpsie Point - Isle of Bute (mini-topo II)

The coasts of Port na h-Aille and Ard Scalpsie Point have some small outcrops and screes. Most of the rock is made of a flacky mica-schist (too many holds). The stones are often too small and covered of lichens. A huge vein of igneous rock (basalt) crosses the peninsula and forms a decent south west facing crag.

Here are a few decent problems and their locations.

• Groovy, SS, 4+
• Pinch the nipple, 6a
• Sidestep, 5
• Descent route, 3

• Rock over, 4+
• Wall direct, 4

• Canadian barndance, 4
• Boston two steps, 6c

• The floor is lava, SS, 6c
• Time is of the essence, SS, 7a+
• I spy with my little eye, SS, 6a
• The rail, SS, 5
• The wall, SS, 4

Bouldering in Scalpsie Bay - Isle of Bute (mini-topo)

 

 

1. Crackers, 4

2. Shark nails, 4

 

3. The rail left (sit-start), 5

4. The rail right (sit-start), 5

5. The P3 wall, 3

 

6. Hidden, 7a+

Bouldering on the Isle of Bute

Bouldering in Dunagoil - mini-topo of the north cliff.

 

 

 

1. The slab of death, f3+
2. The arête of death, f4 
3. Morning glory (eliminate) f4+
4. Morning sunshine, f4 
5. Rock over, f5 
6. Reachy, f4 
7. Awkward, f6A

 

Bouldering in Dunagoil mini-topo II

 

Boom! 6a.

Don't slap, it's sharp, 6b.

 

 To be or not to be precise, 7a.

 

Am bàl dòrnach, 5. 

 

It's not how you fall, it's how you land, 6b.

 

The seamstress low-start, 7a/7a+?

 

Coup de maître, 6a (probably my favourite problem at Dunagoil)

 

Bouldering in Dunagoil (Isle of Bute)

Here's a mini-topo of problems I climbed at Dunagoil on Bute. 

I'll try to post up pictures when I get a chance.

Creag a tuath (North cliff)

The arête of death  f4
Morning sunshine  f4

An sgàrdan (the scree)

It's not how you fall, it's how you land.  f6B
Coup de maître  f6A
The Seamstress sit-start  f7A+
The Seamstress  f6B+
Don't slap, it's charp!  f6B
Aoife's mental  f4+
Boom!  f6A

An uamh mhòr (the big cave)

To be or not to be precise.  f7A

Port Dòrnach (the old name of the pebble beach)

Am bàl dòrnach (the boxing ball)  f5

Coup de grâce

Here's my latest problem at Gullane / Hummell Rocks. I reckon it's a solid 7b.

Unfortunatly, it requires top conditions - low tide, dry spell, dry air flow... 

A late summer morning session is probably best as the crag still catches the sun so the holds are dry, even with a slight sea breeze.

 

 

 

Bouldering at Gullane beach, Àrd-ealain

 

Bouldering at Gullane beach, mini-roof problem

Ìosal, St Helen's bay, near Siccar Point

I was back to St Helen’s recently, an area I’ve developed back in 2014/15. 

I took a break from climbing and hadn’t been there since the release of the third version of Stone Country Press' Boulder Scotland.

I was glad to see the place has received some traffic – the Latha saor boulder was heavily chalked up, especially Ìosal ( which means low in Scottish Gaelic).

A recent comment from Andy Shanks on one of my previous posts confirmed what I already thought - this latter line is an eliminate.

Here are the holds I've used:

Ìosal, 7b

The true line would be to traverse low, rightward, all the way to poor holds, finishing up Tha mi nam shìneadh (7a) but that was beyond my abilities.

I’d love to know if someone sends the whole traverse and what method they use, so if that's your case, please let me know!

Bouldering at Hummell rocks (IV)

Hummell wall - Gullane beach (near Edinburgh) 

Overhang lip traverse, 6c+ (ish...)

Bouldering near St Helen's Church, Siccar Point

An old map of the coastal crags between St Helen's Church and Siccar Point

Bouldering at Hummell rocks (III)

Hummell wall - Gullane beach (near Edinburgh) 

Conditions were good at Hummell Rocks (Gullane beach) yesterday.

I managed to climb a couple of hard lines. I doubt that these are FAs but the moves are cool and not recorded anywhere, so just in case someone would be looking for ideas, here they are.

I've given them Gaelic names, just because I can - It's my blog, so I make the rules, but who cares about obscure climb names anyway :)

1. Àirde An Làin, 6a : cool crimpy moves. Topping out is high and dodgy (mosh and bushes), Not recommended. Best is to escape rightward and down climb. 
2. High & Dry, 5 - see previous post. It did not feel like 6a after all. 
3. Leum, 6a: from a good side pull right hand, step up and reach high to a break. 
4. An t-sliseag 6c+: Sit-start both hands on an edge in the red part. Pop to slopers above the lip, move right then pop up again high to a hidden hold. Get over the overhang's lip and finish diagonally up and right. Top out or down climb. 
5. Àrd-ealain, 7a: Sit-start on poor crimps below the lip. Deadpoint to sloper above (hard not to dab) and again to better crimps above. The rest is much easier. Requires a good dry spell and cool conditions (an evening with no sea sea). 

Remember:

Don't use any hard/wire brushes ! 

Hummell Rocks is a soft sandstone crag by the beach.
So holds will always be sandy here. In many cases, you will need to brush the holds before climbing but please, brush them very gently, using soft (not wire!) brushes, to avoid any damage to the rock. Soft nylon are the most popular, but at Hummel Rocks, even soft brushes need to be used gently!
If you want to compete with the next guy, give him a chance to try the same climb ;)

Don't climb here less than 24 hours after the rain 

Climbing on wet sandstone destroys it.
Hand holds and footholds are softer and break apart more easily.
Wait as much as possible, at least a week when there's been high humidity, cold temperature and already moist conditions.
So late summer is probably the best period to climb at Hummell Rocks.

Bouldering at Hummell rocks (III)

Hummell wall - Gullane beach (near Edinburgh) 

Conditions were good at Hummell Rocks (Gullane beach) yesterday.

I managed to climb a couple of hard lines. I doubt that these are FAs but the moves are cool and not recorded anywhere, so just in case someone would be looking for ideas, here they are.

I've given them Gaelic names, just because I can - It's my blog, so I make the rules, but who cares about obscure climb names anyway :)

1. Àirde An Làin, 6a : cool crimpy moves. Topping out is high and dodgy (mosh and bushes), Not recommended. Best is to escape rightward and down climb. 
2. High & Dry, 5 - see previous post. It did not feel like 6a after all. 
3. Leum, 6a: from a good side pull right hand, step up and reach high to a break. 
4. An t-sliseag 6b+: Sit-start both hands on an edge in the red part. Pop to slopers above the lip, move right then pop up again high to a hidden hold. Get over the overhang's lip and finish diagonally up and right. Top out or down climb. 
5. Àrd-ealain, 7a: Sit-start on poor crimps below the lip. Deadpoint to sloper above (hard not to dab) and again to better crimps above. The rest is much easier. Requires a good dry spell and cool conditions (an evening with no sea sea). 

Remember:

Don't use any hard/wire brushes ! 

Hummell Rocks is a soft sandstone crag by the beach. So holds will always be sandy here. In many cases, you will need to brush the holds before climbing but please, brush them very gently, using soft (not wire!) brushes, to avoid any damage to the rock. Soft nylon are the most popular, but at Hummel Rocks, even soft brushes need to be used gently! If you want to compete with the next guy, give him a chance to try the same climb ;)

Don't climb here less than 24 hours after the rain 

 Climbing on wet sandstone destroys it. Hand holds and footholds are softer and break apart more easily. Wait as much as possible, at least a week when there's been high humidity, cold temperature and already moist conditions.
So late summer is probably the best period to climb at Hummell Rocks.

Coastal bouldering (part 3)

Earlier this year, I sent my latest project at the local seaside venue that I discovered last year.

It's called "ìosal". It means "low" in Scottish Gaelic, because it is a low traverse and well... you can't climb it when the tide is high.

I haven't got a clue about the grade. It felt like the hardest climb I've ever sent, but then, every time I send a project, it feels like that. Still, this one is 5 or 6 moves long - the end part being much easier, so it's a solid 7b problem, probably harder.

There are a few other cool problems around but I won't give more details here - there should be plenty within the next edition of John Watson's Bouldering in Scotland guidebook.