[Toby]

I'm just back from a drive up to Ullapool after reading the Stone Country guide. Suitably inspired I decided to get a bit of bouldering done in the Ullapool area. Unfortunately it was a bit too wet to get anything done. There's some great stuff up there! Has anyone explored the boulders on the stretch of road between the Ben Wyvis carpark and Glascarnoch? I noticed there was a good few likely looking boulders by the river. They look pretty clean too. If the weather holds off for tomorrow I'm going to head up again and take a look. Anyone fancy coming along?

[richieb]

How did you get on? Ive heard tales of long boggy walks to 'looks massive from a distance, turned out to be knee height' boulders in that area. Ive checked a few north west venues in the last couple of months since moving up, some good, some err.....not so good.     

[sharkey]

I was on Skye last week, walking i might add, managed to get a look at one of the Si 'O V14 's - It's over, the one Dave Mac pulled the undercut off first try,  it looked impossible, a 45 degree green roof with brushed ripples, he claims to have climbed it since the undercut came off! it is as smooth as a baby's backside? it was a real eye opener, to see one of this guys incredible claims. 

[Toby]

It was all a bit dreich unfortunately. Theres 3 or 4 decent size boulders fairly close to the road and the rock on them appears to be pretty clean. Planning to have another closer look this coming weekend. But so far it looks good.

[richieb]

Did you go back mate? I'd be interested to know how you got on.
We went to this place today, amazing boulder near torridon village, the area is in the stone country guide and theres tons of good rock...take your wellies though! (and a big tarp!)

[Monolith]

That boulder looks incredible. I was impressed by the Gabbrofest guide which I picked up a copy of the other day. Great format and photography, its great value at 4 quid too. Admittedly, the once and only time I've ever been to the Isle of Skye in summer, it pissed it down for 6 straight days only to ease up the day we were leaving. Determined to go back though, it's an amazing place.

[richieb]

Yeah its a stunning bit of rock. A great example of a boulder that looks massive from a distance, and when you've walked all the way over to it through the swamp......still looks massive! The arete I'm on in the photo is about V6 I think, the chalked line facing the camera is highball V4ish. Great rock too. Sadly the ground at the base of the boulder is totally waterlogged but its nothing a pair of wellies and a big blue plastic sheet cant sort out!
The whole area reminded me of the plantation in a funny kind of way, theres a short tier of crag above with loads of good looking slabs and aretes.

The skye stuff does look very good, hope to get over there soon.

[SA Chris]

The North West has tons of undeveloped stuff. Reiff has masses of potential, a lot if it under roofed areas that would syay dry in the rain. And the rock is superb.

[richieb]

Glad you said that Chris. Pantontino told me you were a good source of info on all things northern and bouldery before I moved up from Wales.
Went to Reiff in the Woods and Rhue on Sunday and did some very good stuff. Id be really keen to know where else you recommend, dry in the rain venues sound like especially valuable knowledge!

[SA Chris]

Richie, where are you based then? Have you seen this? http://www.scottishclimbs.com/guidepage.php?guideid=18 might be worth a look, not actually been myself?

Although Reiff is always touted as a routes venue, there is some potential for some excellent bouldering, it just seems to get overlooked as most folk who travel there are keen to get routes done. There is some good looking stuff under the roofy bits around Jim Nastic / Clam Jam sort of area that will be fine in the rain. Tons of other rock too.

PM me if you need any more info, hopefully be up there for some surfing at some point.

[richieb]

Im in Inverness, moved up at the end of the summer. Interesting range of reactions from people in the Welsh scene when told em I was moving up, from 'Well thats the end of your climbing sonny' to 'Awesome - all those new crags'. 
You're spot on there about Reiff, Ive too have been one of those folk doing routes and missing the bouldering potential. I forgot I'd been to Ardmair beach too, its a good spot but probably wouldnt keep you going for many visits. I've got some of Ian Taylors topos and stuff for the Ullapool area from ScottishClimbs.  Keen to check out the east coast too, Ive heard sit rains slightly less over there
Cheers for the advice...

[SA Chris]

You got a pm.

[sharkey]

Chris, have you been to the bouldering cliff ar Rieff, the route Romancing the Stone E3 6b, is basicly a fantastic highball V5/6 ish, White Horses E2 6a an amazing arete -  highball V3 and there is loads of other stuff, some of the best quality problems i have had the fortune to discover in the Highlands.

[dom]

   that boulder is awesome!

[SA Chris]

Chris, have you been to the bouldering cliff ar Rieff

Yes. Did some of the routes/highballs near the gully and some traversing on the wall round the corner facing the sea. It was bitterly cold though, and I was a bit hungover after my first ceilidh. I don't think the bouldering cliff has the best bouldering at reiff though, but of a misnomer.

[richieb]

Just in case anyone's interested, and without wanting to big myself up too much, I did a smart new prob at Reiff in the Woods on Sunday. Its the 'Main Issue' project mentioned in the Stone Country guide. Details on stonecountry - http://stonecountry.blogspot.com/
Having spoken to a couple of the locals it seems new stuff is being developed in the area all the time. Which I guess makes sense, if you look at the amount of rock up there.....
How did you get on in Glen Clova Chris?

[SA Chris]

How did you get on in Glen Clova Chris?

Didn't go in the end. Back was sore and it was really damp and frosty, so doubt it would have dried. Walked down to Muchalls and had a play on the bits that were dry instead. Did you get my email about the newly discovered/developed boulder near Culloden?

[richieb]

Yeah I did, cheers for that. I went down and checked this place out. Its cool, but I suspect its gonna be damp(well lets be honest.....wet) for most of the year (all year). Its a good find though fair play, you quest down through blair witch territory until this huge block suddenly appears in the middle of the forest. Its the same sort of rock as the camel sport crag, crazy conglomerate.

I had a session at cummingston the other day with some of the north wales crew and changed my mind about the place...its actually quite good    
I'd like to make it out to the east coast soon....

[SA Chris]

Cool, Let me know.

Good work on the Main Issue though, although I might flag a question mark next to your modest grade.

[richieb]

Cheers. Theres a rather comical clip of an earlier failed attempt on youtube.

[SA Chris]

Ouch! Did that hurt? Looks like a nice prob. Wingspan and love of flight look obligatory.

[richieb]

Cant remember really. Probably did hurt and I probably tried to act like it didnt.
Im still keen for Clova one of these weekends, let me know if youre heading up there?
Fed up of seeing sun over the east and rain in the west. Or at least thats what metcheck says....

[SA Chris]

Richie, you got email.

[richieb]

Hey folks
Doing my best to make sure this thread stays alive. Theres been a fair bit of activity in Torridon recently and I understand a new topo will appear on ScottishClimbs soon. Good news cos the area deserves a proper write up and some more attention. Yours truly just managed to climb the 'rippled' south face of the Ship boulder earlier this week (The big boulder featured earlier in this thread) 
Details on John Watsons stonecounty blog http://stonecountry.blogspot.com/. 

[Bonjoy]

The problem looks ace, shame the pic is so tiny

[richieb]

Good Point....same pic in real time....
 

[richieb]

This is local guru Ian Taylor on the arete to the right. First done by Malcom Smith a few years ago I believe....
 

[richieb]

errr......I meant the arete to the LEFT of course!

[Somebody's Fool]

Wow.  That rock looks amazing. The crag/jumble in the background looks equally appetising.  Has much been done there?

[GCW]

Has much been done there?

Andi_e went up there a while ago.  Did everything and added a few new problems.  He thought Scotland was too easy.   

[richieb]

Most of the stuff in the background has been looked at, but often potential lines are spoilt by either crumbly rock, bad landings, or the boulders being smaller than they look from a distance. There is a good circuit here though, and where the rock is good it is really good. Just remember your wellies! Keep an eye on ScottishClimbs for an updated topo.
My tip (and probably loads of other peoples tip) would be to combine a trip here with abit of chuffing at Diabaig, quality crag in an amazing location.
 

[SA Chris]

reachy, crimpy and tenuous

Sounds like it's right up my street! Not sure at that grade though. Is it very conditions dependant? Looks like wellies are a necessity. Nice effort, need to make a trip up there, come spring. I can confirm Diabaig is an excellent spot for some chuffing.

[richieb]

I did find it conditions dependant but conditions are often good, more often than I expected anyway. I guess due to the wall being south facing and exposed to the wind. In fact on the day I did it the wall was wet when I arrived but dry again in about half an hour with a good wind blowing. The biggest problem I had was frozen fingers and nearly crashing the car racing over there to get it done..
Theres a good patio/pad platform underneath the wall now as well, part of the warm up routine!

Had a good session at Brin Rock yesterday in top conditions. A good circuit when dry. Needs traffic to keep it that way.

This is Lee on 'Spank the Ramp' V4ish

[SA Chris]

Might need to revisit Brin with fresh eyes. I was disappointed in the place. Maybe it was the post festival hangover, the midges, the ticks, the undergrowth, the bog and the overgrown dirty rock that put me off.

A post rain dryout seems to do wonders for friction.

[richieb]

I know what you mean, first time I went for a look I couldnt really see any bouldering. Just a load of trees and man eating holes in the ground where Scottish wild cats should live. Amazing what abit of dry weather, chalked holds and a tour from a local expert can do.
In light of the patio building thread, just want to point out the patio I mentioned wasnt created by the removal of any blocks under the problem to make it safer. The base of the boulder is basically a swamp and a few flat rocks were imported to make a platform and stop the pads floating away. A Rubicon style wooden pallet would have done the job but I couldnt find any of them hanging around in Torridon.
Just for the record like....

[richieb]

Good news! Info is starting to filter out thick and fast from the North West Scotland scene...respect to Ian Taylor for putting together this topo for the best bit of Torridon
http://wiki.scottishclimbs.com/wiki/Ship_Boulder
And this wee guide for the Ullapool area....
http://stonecountry.blogspot.com/2007/02/ullapool-bouldering.html

[clm]

i have bouldered on some of the beaches round durness.  its ....erm... esoteric.

[SA Chris]

We went for a wander round Durness area in between surf sessions at Oldshoremore last autumn. Rock quality looked variable to say the least. Smoo Cave looked to have some challenging lines.

[RossH]

Just back from a great day in Torridon. Can confirm there is a good wee circuit to be had at the Celtic boulders, loads of quality varied problems, especially in the lower grades. I see what you mean about the wellies though, the Ship boulder was sitting in a massive pool. Made be wimp out of the top of Squelch a couple of times, with the thought of my mat floating away beneath me. Your new problem looks superb Richie, didn't try it though cos landing was a swimming pool.

Went to Annat after and had a go on Three Streaks - has anyone tried this? It is a fantastic prob, though I didn't do that either.

[richieb]

Not been to Annat yet Ross, although its on the list. Drop me a pm if you fcancy getting back over Torridon way there sometime....still plenty of new stuff to do

[SA Chris]

Where is Annat?

[richieb]

Just to the south of Torridon village Chris. Above the main road theres a few tiers of small crags and boulders. Three Streaks was done by Dave Macleod a few years ago I think. Pic in the back of Stone Country.

[richieb]

There is some more info on the Torridon sandstone wonderland on the stonecountry blog (www.stonecountry.blogspot.com). The awesome Malc Smith arete got a couple of repeats at the weekend. 
Also maybe of interest (but probably only to SAChris) is a topo for a couple of new venues in strathconon near Inverness available on www.alphamountaineering.co.uk.
 

[SA Chris]

Nice Richie, definitely looks worth a visit. Decent topos too. How's the midgies at the moment.

[Owen]

any news of the topo for toridon? That ship boulder looks awesome, what are conditions likely to be this time of year? Will be up this way next weekend gonna start at cummingston first and keen for a bit of a road trip across to and down the West coast. Where re the recomended venues? Are there any topos/maps online? What is the midge situation likely to be?

Cheers

Owen

[SA Chris]

If you haven't got Stone Country, get it, it's the easiest way. Otherwise there are a couple of topos on scottishclimbs.com and scotlandonline.com.

Friends were at Cummingston last Sunday and said it was in good nick. Just make sure you get there at lowish tide to maximise dryness.

[andy_e]

Anybody got any beta on anything in the Assynt/Inchnadamph region?

[richieb]

Owen - conditions were good in Torridon at the weekend. Not too bad for midgies yet and theres often a breeze which helps, the rock dries super fast and its not too wet underfoot at the moment either. You might wanna think about going across to Ullapool for Ardmair, Rhue and Reiff in the Woods (guide in the gear shop in ullapool) then down the coast to Torridon and Applecross. If you get the weather that would be an awesome trip. Check scottishclimbs.com for various topos and beta or get the stonecountry book. If you fancy some routes too theres loads to go at.
Thats a fair bit of driving but the roads are mostly good over there these days...

Andi - not sure about that area but I know Dave Macleod developed a boulder abit further north at Oldshoremore called the Akira boulder I think, try searching his blog for details. The Ullapool area mentioned above is not too far south and the road is fast.

Chris - midges not too bad yet, been out at Duntelchaig tonight. Strong wind so no midges but plenty of ticks. Little gits.

[andy_e]

Andi - not sure about that area but I know Dave Macleod developed a boulder abit further north at Oldshoremore called the Akira boulder I think, try searching his blog for details. The Ullapool area mentioned above is not too far south and the road is fast.

Cheers dude, was looking for something very close to inchnadamph as I'll be on a field trip and therefore carless...

[SA Chris]

As far as I know, the nearest recorded stuff there is probably stuff just beyond ullapool, and boulders at Rhiconich. Check Northern Highlands North though, there are loads of small crags scattered around that area. I don't think you are too far from Hoy either.

Andi, there is tons of rock in that area, I suspect you could throw a stick and hit some unclimberd boulders; take some stiff brushes. Even a couple of roadside quarries.

[Owen]

Thanks for info, just gotta hope weather gonna be o.k. now.....

[richieb]

A few photos from up this way...to give you a feel for the place

Three Streaks at Annat font 7a+


Ardmair beach font 6b thing


Duntelchaig near Inverness font 7a thing

[SA Chris]

Anybody got any beta on anything in the Assynt/Inchnadamph region?

Andi, I had a look at NHN on the weekend. I knw the name rang a bell, there is actually one of the few limestone crags in Scotland at Inchnadamph, routes in the S - E1 range. Also mentions some bouldering at Inverpollaidh (or however it's spelt).

Richie, Ardmair beach looks excellent. Always mean to stop on the way to Reiff, but never do. 

[andy_e]

Cheers Chris, Limestone sounds good.

[SA Chris]

pm me if you dont want to shop.