[Fiend]

Top bloc!

Slippery Slope is desperate 6C+ and Outstanding is 6B+. Razor's Edge is brilliant and The Dude is great and easy 7A.

[richieb]

There are a few other things missing from that list but I can't remember the names. The wall left of razor's edge and the wall left of nerfertiti are both about 7A from sit starts and a more direct version of barry manilow is about 7B.
As far as I know QED is unrepeated and could well be a bit harder than 7C. Dave M could well have done it on his visits to do the traverses though.

[comPiler]

Windyhill on a sunny day
15 March 2014, 5:51 pm

Glasgow's quarried hinterlands, such as the braes above Paisley, Johnstone and Elderslie, well what can we say of them, what is there for the climber: dank landfill quarries, briars flagged with poly bags, Tennents cans and Cider bottles, dog-shite, plastic detritus, road-dumps, graffiti splatters, neds, broken bikes and unmbrellas, abandoned tyres, fire-pits ... or, if you're in a brighter mood: sunbitten orange basalt, birds singing, blue skies and daffodils, technical moves & rough textures, silver birch, silence, a warmed back as you climb...

Windyhill is an odd little bouldering backwater, but a little attention, litter-picking, briar-bashing, in short a little bouldery love, and the place is fine for an evening's sunny bouldering in the lower grades. There's even a car-park 10 yards across the road now. No excuses then, but bring your secateurs, those briars are vicious!





Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

The Lost Township of Grulin on Eigg
4 April 2014, 11:03 am

‘The Stony Place’ as it translates, the archaeological notes on the RCAHMS database for Eigg, state baldly the lost humanity of Grulin as early as an 1880 OS survey map: ‘…eighteen unroofed buildings, six enclosures and a field-system’. Now a scheduled monument and memorialised as a ‘depopulated settlement’, though it is not obvious if the verb is passive or aggressive, Grulin Uachdrach (Grulin Upper) is, like Hallaig on Raasay, a place of violent silence and resonance.

Who lived here and why was the site abandoned? If it were not in Scotland, suspicions might fall to the climate, remoteness and apparent unsustainability of the stony place, a rabble of large rocks under the steep slopes of An Sgurr, but the carefully constructed walls tell us it was once a thriving township – the kilns, folds and blackhouse walls integrated with the giant boulders such as Clach Hosdail. In 1853 the whole of the village of Grulin, both upper and lower, housed fourteen families who were forced to leave, 57 people in all cleared aside from one family held as shepherds. One family was crofted at Cleadale but the rest found emigration to Nova Scotia the only option. In 1841 there had been 103 people but by 1853 Laig farm to the north of the Sgurr had been let by the landowner to a borders sheep farmer called Stephen Stewart, who took on the contract only on condition it included the fine grazing and pasture around the Grulins under the south face of the Sgurr. The subsequent events tell a similar tale to the hundreds of other cleared villages throughout Scotland.



Around the village lie hidden, sheltered runrigs with ingenious irrigation walls and channels. The place is still populated by cheviot sheep who wander oblivious in through the out-doors of the old shielings to graze on lush grass between the sheltered walls. Flag iris grows around the streams and springs harbour water cress, and on a summer day it is not hard to imagine this would have been a place of serenity and pride after the long day’s tilling. But then came the monetisation of the Highlands, the aristocratisation of the old clan system, the demise of a communal agrarian system and the volatile business of kelping and sheep-farming. The rest is a sorry tale of shame, though the modern drive for locality and breaking of the land regimes of the past has led Eigg to be considered a showpiece example of community ownership, having been bought in 1997 from single ownership. The island is now self-sufficient in energy with wind, solar and hydro in several locations and the 100-odd population thrives by itself with a little help from tourism.

Further reading:Susanna Wade Martins, Eigg - an Island Landscape,PWM Heritage Management, 2004James Hunter, The Making of the Crofting Community, John Donald, 1976



Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

The Isle of Gigha
22 April 2014, 1:55 pm

The maritime sliver of schist and quartzite that is the Isle of Gigha is an island of two coasts: a sheltered riviera of sandy bays on the east and a weathered and hardened west coast facing the Atlantic between Kintyre and the Oa of Islay. The central ridge of the island is wooded on the lee side and shelters most of the community around the hub of Ardminish and the old wooded Achamore.

For climbers, the best trail is the west coast from the south pier to the summit of Creag Bhan, which is a day-long walk between ferries with some good climbing and bouldering, largely underdeveloped. The northern island of Eilean Garbh has some steep crags for sport-heads and a remarkable tombolo beach, polluted to hell with plastic on the drift side but postcard-perfect on the lee side.

Walk up from the pier to the village shop at Ardminish, turn left and south past the hotel to the south of the island, past Achamore gardens and Gigha windfarm  - the ‘dancing ladies’, four windmills as of 2014, 3 originally, a fourth was added in 2013. March 2014 output made £11,200 and this excess allows the Gigha Community Trust to profit from wind generation power, selling it back to the grid.



The South Pier – splitting natural harbours of Port Meadhonach and Port na Carraigh - is where the ferry sleeps at night and is a deep berth opposite Gigalum Island. Walk south-west along the shore of Caolas Gigalum on a sandy bay, cross over a fence where it meets the rocks, then head up right onto the heathery hill by a wall, follow this south-west to where a small promontory juts out, on the south side of this is Uamh Mhor, the ‘big cave’, a well-hidden quartzite cave.



Remains of a dun (or just a raised beach?) can be found on the boulder shore on the way to the cairn-marked craggy hill-top above Port Mor, opposite the three little islands of Eilean Leim, where the sea is usually rougher facing the westerly winds. Descend to the headland west of a rocky outcrop hill (Carn Leim), where a roaring cave can be heard, marked by a choked boulder in a chasm, this is Slocan Leim, the ‘leaping cave’, where in a strong westerly storm, geysers spout violently up around a choked boulder in the black gorge. In calmer weathers, pebbles turn and rumble with a deep bass in the hidden cave.

North along the craggy headland by the high tide mark is another hidden cave, or blowhole, usually covered with seaweed blown up by the geyser of Sloc an t-Srannain, the ‘snoring hole’, though this might be more apt for the cave further south. The names might best be swapped around.

A few hundred metres north leads to a stile onto the beach of Grob Bagh under Leim farm. This has a raised beach and an old spring at the north end, sometimes bleeding out an alluvial fan of sand. The beach bends west to a grassy shore and a gap through wind-exfoliated outcrops to a rocky coast west of Leim Farm, under the grassy hill of Am Pluc, full of unusual boulders worn into strange ships by the wind – this soft schist sits on top of a quartzite stone in parts. The skerry out to sea is Dudh Sgeir – the black reef.



Continuing north past the reefs and islands of Port a’ Gharaidh to the slabby walls under the wind farm, where round hollows on the slabs show the site of a Quern Quarry. This garneted schist seems to have been ideal for making quern stones – they can be seen on slabs just before the bay and tidal island of Eun Eilean. Out in the bay lies the rocky Craro Island. Skirting the shallow sandy bay of Poll Mor (the big pool), where common seals roll and play in the turquoise waters, sometimes with attendant otters, is Port nan Each, a sheltered headland just under Cuddyport cottage (Tigh nan Cudainnean) with its sheltered ‘rock garden’. The west side of the headland directly under the cottage has a good series of slabbed amphibolite quern pits.



The next headland is accessed along a beach to a path up to a Cairn or Cist, before the bay of Portan Craro, opposite Craro island. The wild headland walk leads eventually past some caves to Port an Duin, with its attendant farm and old mill.



Above the bay a track leads up to the 100m summit of Creag Bhan, with some fine slabby crags on its west flank facing Jura and a steep cracked crag on its east flank. The summit trig point also has a marker plinth listing distances to Ireland, Kintyre, Arran, Knapdale, Jura and Islay, a fine vista on a clear day. The track leads down to a farm track east to Druimyeoin More farm and the road back south to Ardminish.





Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Craigmaddie blues
29 April 2014, 8:25 pm

A long winter and finally my favourite local venue is dry...

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

When design ruled the world...
1 May 2014, 6:49 pm

No one will ever be nostalgic for e- newsletters. Here's EUP 50s and 60s marketing.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

St Bride's Wall
7 May 2014, 4:17 pm



This quartz-veined schist wave of rock is a south-facing glacial crag easily spotted in a field on the A84, opposite St Bride’s Chapel and graveyard, a few kilometres north of Callander as it passes along the Garbh Uisge’s ‘Falls of Leny’ and the south end of Loch Lubnaig. It is easily accessible from a straight-road layby south of the chapel, cross the road (carefully, as traffic is fast), walk north and enter a field to walk over to the crag - two minutes.

The bulging crag has a number of short traditional routes surmounting the ramp onto slabs, such as the flake crack Bride’s Crack (HVS) on the right, but below the distinctive rising ramp feature is a steep wall with increasingly hard and higher problems from left to right. The wall has been bouldered on only sporadically since the 70s, so names and grades are speculative and first ascents are murky. Angus Clark and John Watson repeated the obvious problems in 2007 and 2008 respectively, possibly documenting and naming already existing problems.

Feedback welcome on this accessible but obscure little venue ...

Draft topo here >>>

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[Fiend]

Walk-in is a bit alpine but the crag is good!

White Matter is solid 6c+/7a and the crag classic.

Stem Cell Reasoning sounds more reasonable now, the previous implication of it climbing the blank wall left of WM was bollox.

[comPiler]

Dumby to go 3D!
15 May 2014, 12:55 pm



I have been going on for years about Dumbarton Rock being one of our finest examples of modern 'sporting heritage', a kind of living history and an example of community 'ownership' (I use this in the least possessive sense) through simple occupation and use, under the shadow of more static heritage that is purely conservatory (I mean no disrespect to Historic Scotland and the castle!). It's how we create identity after all and is part of the greater weave of history, but seen from the ground-up and the everyday, which is an approach that is gradually displacing the top-down perspective of traditional historiography.

One of the most exciting projects around is a community-history project with the acronym ACCORD, which stands for Archaeology Community Co-Production of Research Data.

What does this mean? Well, for climbers, it means we are gathering a group in early July to photograph the boulders and maybe the crag, with loaned equipment and cameras, to create a 3D collage of all the blocs. When the processing is complete, along with interviews, written material and interpretation, we'll have a full archaeology of our climbing heritage.

We'll also have Creative Commons rights to use the material, imagine a 3D topo! Better still, we'll be able to plug the data into 3D printers and print out our very own Eagle Bloc. Not a bad paperweight to have on your desk at work!

If you want to join in, the dates are from July 7th to 10th, give me an email if you want to know more >>> John Watson

Learn more about the project here >>>

From ACCORD's blog:ACCORD is one of eleven projects across the UK to be awarded funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s £4million “Digital Transformations in Community Research Co-Production” programme. Led by the Digital Design Studio of the Glasgow School of Art, the project it is being delivered in partnership with the University of Manchester Department of Archaeology, Archaeology Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The ACCORD project seeks to examine the opportunities and implications of digital visualisation technologies for community engagement and research through the co-creation of three-dimensional (3D) models of historic monuments and places. Despite their increasing accessibility, techniques such as laser scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing have remained firmly in the domain of heritage specialists. Expert forms of knowledge and/or professional priorities frame the use of digital visualisation technologies, and forms of community-based social value are rarely addressed. Consequently, the resulting digital objects fail to engage communities as a means of researching and representing their heritage, despite the now widespread recognition of the importance of community engagement and social value in the heritage sector.



Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

New bouldering at Sheigra and Loch Sloy
4 June 2014, 2:02 pm

Check out this fine little video of Lee Robinson and Mike Adams raiding Sheigra after driving straight up there after Glen Croe (respect!). Some fine looking problems were done just as the midge season is kicking in. They then scooted back down the road and stomped up to the dam boulders at Loch Sloy, where Mike did a fine-looking 7c+ called Berlin Wall. It appears to be a new line between existing projects, that high heel looks committing! Here's the video, thanks to Mike and Lee for their intrepidity of character.

from Mike Adams on Vimeo.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[Fiend]

Nice one, good publicity for Loch Sloy, god knows it needs it, so much to be done up there.

[skelf]

Good effort lads. There is hunners to go at in Scotland but no one can tear themselfs away from dumby. Plenty strong lads and lassies coming out of Tca but I fear the exploratory spirit is dead. Or at least it needs a good boot up the arse.

[Adam Lincoln]

Good effort lads. There is hunners to go at in Scotland but no one can tear themselfs away from dumby. Plenty strong lads and lassies coming out of Tca but I fear the exploratory spirit is dead. Or at least it needs a good boot up the arse.

Any tips on any places with potential? Have camper and will travel! 

[Fiend]

Loch Sloy.

Also there's a potentially mighty boulderfield beneath Creah Nan Shormalie.

HTH 

[SA Chris]

Good effort lads. There is hunners to go at in Scotland but no one can tear themselfs away from dumby. Plenty strong lads and lassies coming out of Tca but I fear the exploratory spirit is dead. Or at least it needs a good boot up the arse.

Any tips on any places with potential? Have camper and will travel! 

Shout next time you are up this way Adam, got some things you might like, sorry I missed you last week.

[SA Chris]

Good effort lads. There is hunners to go at in Scotland but no one can tear themselfs away from dumby. Plenty strong lads and lassies coming out of Tca but I fear the exploratory spirit is dead. Or at least it needs a good boot up the arse.

Too true, sadly.

[davej]

what about the loch Maree boulderfield you can see on the road to Gairloch??

[Adam Lincoln]

Good effort lads. There is hunners to go at in Scotland but no one can tear themselfs away from dumby. Plenty strong lads and lassies coming out of Tca but I fear the exploratory spirit is dead. Or at least it needs a good boot up the arse.

Any tips on any places with potential? Have camper and will travel! 

Shout next time you are up this way Adam, got some things you might like, sorry I missed you last week.

will do mate, hopefully soonish.... don't show them tim 

[SA Chris]

what about the loch Maree boulderfield you can see on the road to Gairloch??

That's one of many.

[SA Chris]

will do mate, hopefully soonish.... don't show them tim 

He's got his sport climbing head on right now.

[Adam Lincoln]

will do mate, hopefully soonish.... don't show them tim 

He's got his sport climbing head on right now.

I accidentally stumbled across his new cave. Ooops 

[comPiler]

Want a free 3D model of Dumby?
4 July 2014, 11:48 am

Help please!We really need some climbers to volunteer for fun sessions at Dumby next week at the 3D scanning project. It's informal and fun and you'll have access to free 3D modellings of the Dumby boulders. Imagine a 3d print-out of your favourite bloc...

How to get involved:

The timetable is below and we really need some folk for the Focus Sessions and/or the photography of the blocs...give me a text or call on 07546 037 588 if you can come along! Or just turn up during any of the events... it relies on volunteers. The sessions will finish before the World cup games as well and you don't have to attend for the whole time, even a bit of time would help!!

Afternoon Tuesday 8th July: Meet in the Dining Room, Dumbarton Castle;

2pm Meet & Greet (tea & coffee)

2.30pm Intro to ACCORD by Mhairi

2.45pm-4.30pm Focus Group session; co-design

4.30pm-5pm Tea/coffee

5pm-8pm Data Capture (laser scanning and RTI)

Evening Wednesday 9th July: Meet at Dumby Rock;

5pm-8pm Data Capture (Photogrammetry)

Afternoon Thursday 10th July: Meet in the Dining Room, Dumbarton Castle;

2pm-5.30pm Processing, Archiving and Final Focus Group (may extend into local pub!)

What to bring:

- Please bring any cameras, tripods, tablets that you may have.

- Bring any pieces of Dumby heritage along with you! (not necessarily smelly old boots!- was thinking old routecards/ guidebooks, maps, photographs, stories) all of this can be used to enrich the 3D models that we create together.

- Flasks of hot tea/coffee for the evening sessions.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Bouldering on Rum 2014
6 July 2014, 4:30 pm

Hamish Fraser and friends, incluidng Chris Everett on a return to the island, have uncovered some hard classic lines on the immaculate allivalite boulders under Hallival. Hamish says: 'Chris smashed out a few hard classics that were worthy of some footage.'

Problems on video

Cell Block H - Font 7C (Chris)

Serious Music - Font 7B+ (Chris)

The Kracken - Font 6C (Stu)

La Jura Jura - Font 7C+ (Chris)

from Hamish Fraser on Vimeo.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Dumby scanning complete
13 July 2014, 3:41 pm

Well, it's done! The Eagle Bloc scanned for full photogrammetry 3D, the crag laser-scanned, some RTI-based imagery of the graffiti and carvings and the Pongo face 3D'd as well. We'll post the results shortly once I figure out the plug-ins for the 3D modelling, but it was an impressive process and my thanks go out to the ACCORD project which initiated this digital heritage of Dumby climbing. We'll archive all the results. Thanks to all who turned up to help: Sven, Alex, John, Eddie and Frank in particular, there was some good storytelling at the Focus group sessions and the weather was terrific throughout to allow for those hundreds of photographs!

The ACCORD group led by Alex Hale, Mhairi Maxwell and Sian Jones

Alex and Sven doing some photogrammetry work on a pole

Kevin ignoring us and doing some climbing...the reason for the project





Source: Stone Country Blog & News