As part of North West Outdoors’ grand plan to conquer the world we’re pushing our boundaries a little here. Today our guest blogger Gaz Marshall takes us on tour of the hidden gems buried in the far eastern reaches of Wester Ross.
As far as bouldering goes, the area that lies in between the well-travelled venues close to Inverness and the promised land of Torridonian sandstone in the north west is a bit of a hinterland. However, there are a few things worth seeking out if you’re in the area or in need of a break when crawling behind a campervan has lost its novelty. There are already a couple of well-known venues in Strathconon at Scatwell and Meig, both documented in John Watson’s Boulder Scotland guide. The former is still probably the best single boulder in the area while the latter is now rather neglected and dirty. The addition of these new venues now means there’s actually a fair bit of fun to be had, with the usual caveats of ticks, midges and navigating rarely travelled choss.
Achilty Wall
Gid ref: NH421562
This short crag is visible up above the road in the trees just west of Loch Achilty. At the far left of the crag is a wee roof with a couple of good problems. They finish at jugs and you then jump off onto pads, although with a bit of cleaning the brave/reckless could continue to the top. There are a few other things lurking in the undergrowth in this area that are yet to be climbed.
Approach
Just north of Contin turn off the A835 on to the minor road into Strathconon, passing Loch Achilty. About 0.5km after the Loch Achilty car park there’s a house on the left (south) side of the road. The crag is opposite this, up the hill in the trees. It’s best to carry on for another 200m and park in the big forest entrance on the right, then go through the gate, immediately turn right and follow the deer fence until nearly opposite the house and then strike uphill to the crag.
1 Scuttlebug 6A+
Crouch start at the left of the cave and head straight up to finish matched on an obvious protruding nose feature. Standing on the low embedded blocks isn’t allowed!
2 Heartbeep 6C+
An excellent problem climbing the obvious feature of the cave roof. Crouch start in the same place as Scuttlebug (similarly, no blocks for feet) and use heels and a bit of burl to follow the underside of the cave roof rightwards to pull up into the hanging corner and finish stood on the protruding boss on the right with hands on hidden jugs on the slab.
Gold Dance Boulders
Grid ref: NH398566
This is a little cluster of roadside schist boulders uncovered after recent forest felling makes a very worthwhile companion to the nearby Scatwell boulder. It’s surrounded by the usual chaos and confusion of a forestry clearfell but ignore that and enjoy the quality of the rock and views across the strath. As well as the natural lines a few eliminates are included here to add to the fun.
Approach
Just north of Contin turn off the A835 on to the minor road into Strathconon, passing Loch Achilty. About 2 miles after the loch there’s an obvious clearfell on the right (north) side of the road. The boulders are on a knoll 200m after the 2nd gated forest entrance (parking, but don’t block the gates). If you get to Luichart Power Station, you’ve gone too far!
Most of the action is on the main block on top of the knoll visible from the road, but there are problems on the blocks higher up the hill behind this and on the short prow lower down to the west.
Problems are described anti-clockwise, starting on the north (up hill) side.
1 North Wall 3
Stand start. Climb the short wall right of the step and left of the wide crack (North Crack).
2 North Crack 3 Sitter
Sit start the flakey crack.
3 The Sleeping Lady 5 Sitter
The left arête of the west face, sit start.
4 Finger Crack Eliminate 6A Sitter
West face. Surprisingly good for an eliminate. Sit start on the wee boulder. Thin crack for hands, feet on whatever.
5 Gold Dance 7A Sitter
Start sat on the wee boulder and squeeze upwards using the arête for the right hand and crack for the left.
6 Real Fool's Gold 6C
The arête climbed on it's right side from a sit start directly under the arête. Finish the same as Fool's Gold. Linking the start of this into the finish of Gold Dance is still a project, get on it.
7 Fool’s Gold 6A+
South face. The wall between the arete and wide crack. Sit start and straight up the wall, avoiding the arête and the crack.
8 Crack 4 Sitter
Layback to the left, right or jam straight in.
9 Crack & Flake 4 Sitter
Start up 8 and follow the flake rightwards.
10 Pixie Face 6B
French start, jump up to the jug. Doing it static is an obvious challenge.
11 Pixie Righthand 4
Low start just left of the edge and follow the flakes leftwards. No feet on the plinth!
Uphill Boulders
12 Gold Rush 4
The right edge of the detached block just left of the big Flake (Frankie's Flake).
13 Frankie’s Eliminate 6A+
The left side of the pillar formed by the flake, avoiding the flake until up high.
14 Frankie’s Flake 4
The obvious big flake.
15 Cracked Slab Left 4
Pad up the left edge of the big easy-angled slab to the right of Frankie’s Flake.
16 Cracked Slab Right 3
Right side of the slab, using the crack and right edge.
17 Scrambled Gregg 6A Sitter
Round the back of the upper boulder (behind Cracked Slab) is an egg-shaped slab. The vertical crack in the centre of the slab from a sitting start - the first move is hard, but the crack soon improves.
18 New Gold Dream 6A
An eliminate on the arête right of Scrambled Gregg, climbed on it’s left side and avoiding the SG crack.
19 New Cold Dream 5+
The NGD arête climbed on it’s right side, without using the block behind.
Prow
Downhill to the west of the knoll is a short steep prow.
20 Sleep Thief 6C Sitter
Only little but one of the best here. Sit start at the bottom right and follow the lip leftwards to mantel at the highest point. Despite appearances the landing is fine with a couple of pads.
Rogie Falls
The spectacular falls are worth a visit in their own right, but there’s a wee bit of climbing worth seeking out too. Only a few problems have been done so far but they are surprisingly good (when clean…) and really easy to access so worth knowing about. There’s quite a bit of rock in the area so there may well be more gems lurking in the trees.
Approach
Park at the Rogie Falls Forestry Commission car park just west of Contin on the A835 and follow the path down toward the falls. After a couple of hundred metres a path breaks off left (the blue signposted Forestry Commission Riverside Trail). 50m or so along here there’s an obvious boulder up to the left with a steep prow at its’s left end.
Prow Boulder
Grid ref: NH 4441 5854
1 Rogie Prow 5 Sitter
The steep prow, obviously! Looks like it should be much harder but the holds are huge!
2 Rogie State 6B+ Sitter
Round to the left of the prow, sit start at the short pillar that forms the left arete, moving rightwards to the same top out as Rogie Prow via a short hanging arete.
Rogie Wall
Grid ref: NH 4447 5866
Continuing about 200m further along the Riverside Trail there’s a steep bank on the left and above that Rogie Wallis hidden amongst the larches. It’s a bit of a battle up the slope and through the trees. The problems here are all highballs and because they’re in a larch forest the tops get a bit of needle build up so worth checking and cleaning first. Problems described left to right.
1 Awake but Always Dreaming 6C
Straight up the middle of the tallest section of wall on the left. The best problem here but sadly it seeps so needs a good dry spell.
2 Left 6A+
Right of the dirty corner, sit start up a ramp and climb straight up the left side of the clean wall.
3 Middle 5
The blocky crack up the middle of the wall. Some slightly loose blocks low down so take care.
4 Right 6A+ Sitter
Sit start and climb the right arete on it’s left side.
Tarvie Wall
Grid ref: NH 4215 5989
This one has all the hallmarks of a classic backwoods Scottish bouldering experience: a bit of a pain in the arse to get to, a bit tricky to get in good condition and only two problems done so far. But, if you’re willing to try you’ll get the best two problems in the area on a smooth bulge of brilliant rock. Both problems are quite high so a few pads are recommended and sadly they both take a bit of seepage so you’ll need a dry spell.
Approach:
The wall is a cutting on the edge of the forest track that runs between Contin and Garve on the north side of Loch Garve. It’s about 2 km from the parking on good tracks so easiest accessed by bike. Park at the first forest entrance west of Tarvie Cafe on the north side of the A835 and follow the track down to Loch na Croich. Cross the dam and follow the short continuation path through the trees to break out onto the main Contin to Garve track. Turn left and follow this. Just after passing under the railway bridge take a left and the wall is obvious on the right about 1km further on.
1 Reckoner 7A
The left side of the blunt prow. From the big break slopers lead to the higher break then high rockover gets you established on the slab. Brilliant.
2 The Bends 6A+
The obvious crack in the leaning wall round to the right. The top feels quite high but it’s all there.
