NB 984 180 Partially Tidal East and North facing
The second biggest and baddest cliff at Reiff. Despite some sandy rock there are some great lines in an impressive setting. Unusually for Reiff it faces east, so gets the morning sun. Visible from the sloping platform descent to the Leaning Block, the obvious crack of An Sulaire splits the western prow of the bay to the east. Hidden round the corner is the amphitheatre itself, an amazing bowl of undercut rock rising above an enormous sloping platform dipping into the sea. Access to the furthest right routes is affected by high tide.
1 The Convolotionist 30m E5 6a***
This lies on the back wall of the amphitheatre. In its main section it takes a line of cracks heading for the left end of the crag’s capping roofs. The route is gained by a cunning traverse line, starting 10m to the right at a corner. Go up the corner to a good break and traverse left, round a nose, to a good ledge. To avoid further rope drag, keep all the gear on the right-hand rope for the first section then drop a loop of the right-hand rope and get re-belayed. Climb up and left and follow the cracks past a pumpy section to a high ledge. Finish up the nose above via a wide horizontal slot. Save a Camalot 3 for the top bit.
2 The Furious Fifties 25m E4 5c*
Steep cracks and even steeper corner line about 20m left of Roaring Forties. A classic grovelfest at the crux.
Tess Fryer on The Furious Fifties
3 Nought to Sixty 20m E5 6a***
Start just left of Roaring Forties below a short hanging corner. Climb the corner, step left then follow thin cracks over bulges to a good break at 10m. Move right and make a long move to a big jug on the arete and a junction with Roaring Forties. Go up the Roaring Forties groove for 5m to a good Friend 2 placement then down climb and make tricky moves left to gain the bottom of a small hanging groove. Finish up this.
Ian Taylor on FA of Nought to Sixty
4 Roaring Forties 30m E4 5c*
The original route of the crag it takes a fairly central line up an obvious series of overhanging grooves in the back wall. An exhilarating pitch and reasonably well protected with a good selection of cams.
Blair Fyffe on Roaring Forties
5 Forty Plus 25m E4 6a*
Follow Roaring Forties for 12m and after the moves left onto the steep arete, go up to a good break under the roof on the right. Make a footless swing right to a rest below a steep groove, then finish the groove and its left arete.
6 Warning of Gales in Rockall, Malin, Hebrides 25m E6 6b***
The stunning arête right of Roaring Forties.
Murdoch Jamieson on Warning of Gales in Rockall, Malin, Hebrides
7 Hyperoceanic 25m E6 6b**
The prominent roof-capped groove left of the big square-cut corner, starting directly behind a large black boulder at the base. Start a few metres right of the main groove. Climb the easy wide crack to the right end of the first roof. Make difficult moves out left to large incut hold (sling over this) then pull over on good breaks. Make delicate moves left into the groove and protection. Climb leftwards up the wall then make further difficult moves over the next two roofs to good holds. Continue to a capping block then hand traverse left to good finishing holds.
8 Stonechat 25m E5 6b**
A line up the left wall of the big square-cut corner. Gain the large, raised ledge via a wide crack, then follow the jam crack above till possible to pull out left, moving up to a recess below roofs. Pull steeply up and right to a position below the fine headwall. And finish up the thin crack.
9 Sea of Madness 25m E3 5c*
Start up the initial corner of Lost at Sea, but continue up to gain the ledge on the left. Reach up to pull over the roof using the obvious jammed block, then continue to finish up the corner above. Linking this into Lost at Sea is E2 5b (Relatively Lost)
10 Lost at Sea 25m E4 6a**
The prominent groove starting just right of the large raised ledge. Climb the groove and the obvious right-trending line leading to the roof. Traverse left then up with difficulty to good holds, finishing more easily up a crack in the headwall.
11 Relatively Free 25m E4 6a**
Start a little to the right of Lost at Sea and climb a snaking flake and crack to reach a big break. Go right along the break and pull into a corner, which is followed to the big roof. Move left and go steeply through the roof at a weakness, then finish up a tricky thin crack. Well protected.
12 From Hero to Zero 30m E6 6b**
Start left of Minjeetah at a steep groove with keyed-in blocks. Grunt up the groove to its top and move left to a big ledge. Climb direct to a hanging left leaning crack and follow this to a huge thin hold under the roof. Traverse left with difficulty and pull round to a big jug, then go straight up with a final trying move on small holds. Good pumpy well protected climbing, but loses a star due to flakey rock.
13 Minjeetah 25m E5 6b ***
The stunning corner and cracks through the triple roofs at the right end of the amphitheatre. Cross the initial roof on good holds and climb the corner, moving out left to a large ledge. Traverse right above the second roof and climb the strenuous crack to beneath the final roof. Move left to a good flange and pull through the roof to finish up a short easy corner. Tidal.
14 Lip Trip 30m E6 6b**
Climb Minjetah to the big jug below its easy top corner then launch hard left along a break line traverse through very steep ground under the capping roof. Pull out left onto the headwall and finish more easily. Care should be taken to extend most runners. A double set of cams is required.
15 An Sulaire 30m E1 5b **
Round on the north face, start at the lowest point directly under the crack in the front of the prow. Climb a shallow hidden black corner up to the big ledge. Finish up the crack. Tidal.