Boulder Guide --- Southern Sandstone

Ron Fawcett apparently soloed all but 2 or 3 climbs at Bowles in the late 70's. But more than a few climbs in the 1981 guide retained their NS status. Even if he did not solo all the climbs, it just shows that some people consider it a bouldering only venue. Most people however, prefer a rope for anything over 15' high.

So southern sandstone has proper routes and not just very extended boulder problems. There are very few proper boulders, so most of the bouldering is at the bottom of existing routes.

Hastings has an excellent bouldering wall, linked with a superb landing, sun, and sea and you have a truly excellent area. Details are in the main Hastings guide in CGUK.

Happy Valley

The main wall here is only 15' high and so all the routes are just boulder problems. Most problems are not very hard, below 6a. But if you miss out holds and vary your start then you could probably push the grade up. Due to only recently being discovered the rock is quite weak, and even large holds can easily snap off.

Starting on the pinnacle a low level girdle is 5c (<-pic), the back passage is bridged as it is too slimy to climb one side. There are some 6a problems on the wall to left of the pinnacle. Single life is a mantelshelf into a niche with an easy finish up the crack above. Welcome to the jungle pulls onto a ledge by a small nose and finishes straight up.

At the other end of the crag is an overhanging wall with an open crack in the center. The crack is Red Snapper 5b. The left arete is 4c and the overlap to the right is 5a. There is a larger wall round to the right with some druid carvings in the base. A 5a goes straight up the middle.

Stone Farm

There are two large boulders here which do require ropes. The isolated boulder has an excellent low level traverse at 6b. This is not a complete girdle as it does not cross Birdie Num-Nums which will be very hard if it goes. Under SW corner scoop and on the nose at the right of the front face is some good problems.

The area under Cat wall is the other good place, where the starts of all the routes give good 6a problems.

Harrison's Rocks

This is the largest outcrop, and surprisingly has very little in the way of quality bouldering. Having said that, there are two good boulders, the north and south. The south boulder is on private property, is heavily overgrown, and actually more a slab. The north has some excellent problems, 14 of them, up to 6b. A low level girdle is still awaiting completion. The fluting on the face away from the crag is 5b (pic -->). The arete to its left is easy 6a and the nose to the right is 6b.

The boulder next to set square arete has several problems up to 6a, on either arete. Most problems involve pulling on very rounded holds, and hard mantel-shelves.

The isolated buttress has some good problems at the bottom of SW corner and traverses at various levels. The area of pullover near unclimbed wall also has some good problems on it.

Eridge Green Rocks

This is a large outcrop that sees a lot fewer visitors than the other outcrops. This is not because of the quality of the rock, it is simply because a few years ago access was forbidden. But now climbing is allowed, except for the odd nesting restriction.

The bouldering here is very good, if a little hard to find. Just past the nose you see from the car park is the Parisian Affair area, where all the routes are considered problems. Parisian affair goes direct up above the cave at 6a. The easy looking arete to the right goes at 6b! The wall right again is 6a.

There are some good traverses on the buttress sticking out closest to the path, marking this side of the amphitheatre. They have footless problems, sitting starts, etc...

The next good bouldering area is round the big bay, past the pillar, on scooped slab. Foot traverse the lower break is 5b, although in the wet it goes up to 6a.

On again you get to a long undercut, clean wall (see above). This has several 6a and 6b routes on it, and some excellent bouldering below. A full traverse below the main break looks extremely hard, and is probably 6c if done. The last bouldering area is fandango wall, it marks the end of the crag, before Eridge tower, and faces towards the tower. It is a pocketed wall with a wide range of possible problems and traverses.

High Rocks
(More Detailed Info)

The best problems here are at the right end of the crag. Some very hard problems have been done between coronation crack and krait arete, at 6c/7a, and they need finishes.

The steep wall left of the hut boulder gives some hard problems. The traverse under nemesis is Lord 6a. The arete to the right is Shattered 6b. The Honeycomb wall has some hard fingery problems and a difficult low level traverse. The slab boulder in front of isolated boulder has some excellent problems on the impending face. There are numerous problems on the sharp holds, the easiest is Z'Mutt 5b, which goes straight up the middle, the short arete to the left is 6a and the arete on the right is Brenva 5b. Just round from brenva is a 6b.

Bowles Rocks
(Selective Topos)

This is the best bouldering venue in the south, and thus the most popular. There is almost always someone beneath Fandango wall. This is an overhanging wall littered with small holds. The easiest is up the middle and is 5c, the start of fandango. Going direct to the start of the left crack in the overhang is 6a. Direct to the flake on the right is hard 6c. Nicotine Alley traverses the lowest break at 6a. There are numerous other problems of up to 7a.

Beneath patella there is an excellent low level traverse below the main break. Staying on fingertip holds to where the wall changes direction is hard 5c.

Beneath larchant there are a lot of very good moves and a low level traverse below the main break, to the gully at 6a. A dyno from left of the crack with hands below the main break up to a sandy coloured hold way above the main break is 5c.