Torwood / Tappoch Mini topo map 1

 

Torwood - More Woodland blocs

• Lippy, sit-start, 6b
• Nosy, sit-start, 6c 

(no crash-pad required)

 The 'woodland blocs' cluster

Tappoch hillside view after the felling

Torwood - Tappoch forest blocs

 

• Balaclava, sit-start, 5+
• Lokum, sit-start, 4
• Baklava, sit-start, 4

• Balaclava, sit-start, 5+

• Smurf's arête, sit-start, 4+
• Big Blue, sit-start, 6a

Torwood - Tappoch crags III

• The quarrel, Sit-Start, 6c
• Tweedledee, Sit-Start, 4
• Tweedledum, Sit-Start, 5

In the absence of light, Sit-start, 7b

 

Torwood - Tappoch Crags II

 

• Wee Problem, 4
• Take a shelfie, 5+
• Aoife's ramp, 4

Torwood - Tappoch Crags

 

• L-R Top Trav, 5
• Lefty, 4+
• Lionel Reachy, 5
• When I grow up, 6a
• Beside the point, 5

Gleann na Muice Beag - Fisherfield Forest (AKA the Great Wildderness)

 Climbed this on my way back from a' Maighdean - grades are a pure guess, I was exhausted and it is was very warm.

That boulder seats directly next to the path in the middle of the Gleann na Muice beag (Valley of the Little Pig).

Naf Naf, 6a

The big bad wolf, 6c

Ravelston VI

Thoughts of Death, SS, 6b

Ravelston V

 

• Midge's Belly, 5+
• Mojo Dojo Casa House, 4
• I am Kenough, 5+ (big shelf is out)
• I am Kenough, sit-start, 6a+
• He's Just Allan, 6c+
• He's Just Allan, sit-start, 7a

Ravelston IV

 

Troll, Sit-Start, 6a+ (Eliminate all the jugs on the left arete, finish standing above the lip)

I am Kenough, Sit-start, 6a+ 

He's just Allan, dyno, 6c+

Ravelston III

 Plastic Duck - update

• Le Canard Déchaîné, 6c
• Taking off, SS, 6a+ dyno

Snowflake Traverse eliminate, SS, 6a+

Bouldering in Ravelston II

Firestarter - Dancer in the Dark (6b+?)

North Quarry

 A nice wee problem in the quarry, SS, 6a 

North Crags (facing Ravelston park)

• Rock-over, SS, 4+
• Black Mirror wall traverse, 4

• The Best Lip in Edinburgh, 5+
• Liposuction, SS, 6a 
• Labia, SS, 6a

Torwood - Tappoch Roofs - Bird Brain Roof

 

Bird Brain Roof is the smaller roof just before Reeky Roof.

Bird Brain Traverse, 6b. Traverse the entire lip of the roof from the left side corner, all the way to finish with an easy mantle at the extreme right hand side. 

Bird Brain, 6b. Crouch start at the back of the roof. Move to good holds in the roof to reach the lip. Then traverse rightwards as per Bird Brain Traverse.

 

Tit, 6a. Bird Brain Roof right hand side –crouch start at the back of the roof both hands on the pilar looking feature. Make awkward moves left to good holds in the roof, then to good holds on the lip. Mantle to top out.

 

Wren, 7a. Bird Brain Roof right hand side –crouch start at the back of the roof both hands on the pilar looking feature. Dyno to the lip then mantle to top out.

 

Chaffinch, 6b. Bird Brain Roof right hand side - Can be done statically if you are tall. Crouch start on the thin undercling edge slightly right to the pilar feature. Launch to the lip, then mantle a top out.

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 near Crichton Castle

Pyramid - The right hand side and arête of the obvious pyramidal block in the left hand side of the upper quarry. 4+

Cheops (eliminate) - Climb the obvious arête in the left hand side of the upper quarry. Eliminate any holds on the sides. 5+

Follow the line - Traverse R-L along a ledge from a groove to the left of Griby's shelf. Reach up for a high edge in the middle, match and then drop back on small edges to finish in the far corner. 4+

Bouldering near Crichton Castle

 

Hummell Rocks - Gullane Bouldering update VI

 

Àrd-ealain (crimp variation) , 7a 

Joey the lips, 6a

 The sand level has slightly dropped again since the picture above was taken. So here are the revised grades revised as of April 2022

• Green: An t-sliseag, 6b
• Red: Shit-Start, 6b
• Blue: Àrd-ealain, 7a
• Purple: Overhang Lip Traverse, 6b at the moment.

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.

 

 

 

Aonarachd (overhang lip traverse extension)

With the sand at a higher level, it's been easier to work out hard moves at Hummell Rocks this summer. Yesterday I managed to stick to my traverse project.

Aonarachd, which is the Gaelic for 'isolation', is an extension of my existing Overhang Lip Traverse. 

Instead of deadpointing to the good hidden flatty, I continue leftwards to the slopers of An t-Sliseag ('the slice') and finish left into the big jug of An t-Sliseag Cop Out.

I thought it would be 7a+ but I have done it only once so far after weeks of trying. Being tall allows me to use the low plinth as a foothold but it is very sandy and it is very difficult not to sleep. I have also tried to do it footless but then, sticking to the slopers is even harder.

So I reckon the grade is probably more like 7b for small people - unless you get very dry and cold conditions, which does not happen often at Gullane.

Here's a photo of the problem:

 And here's a video of my original Overhand Lip Traverse:

Bouldering at Gullane beach, Àrd-ealain