Map Reference: NZ054824
Access:
Please drive slowly down the farm track, especially passing Shaftoe Cottages, and park sensibly without blocking any gates or tracks. Remember that climbers do not have a right to drive down this private road.
Reference:
See Paul Smiths contribution to On The Edge 101 and
Simon Panton's Stone Circles in Climber April 2004.
Local climbers have
visited the crags for many years and in the early eighties a strong group of
climbers based at Newcastle University climbed extensively on the crag but did
not record their activities. It was not until the early nineties, when Shaftoe's
true potential as a bouldering venue was realised, that a few good routes on the
higher buttresses were climbed. At present the only routes that have been
recorded are on the partial wooded escarpment that faces south, the large neb
with a westerly aspect and an isolated buttress on the south facing section of
the northern escarpment. The crags have a pleasant sunny outlook and are
situated on Shaftoe Moor. The routes included are all of good quality, making it
worthwhile to include a rope and harness along with your bouldering gear. The
crag is situated about 18 miles from Newcastle on the A696 road to Jedburgh. The
best and quickest approach is probably from the west. From Newcastle follow the
A696 through Belsay towards Jedburgh, after about 3 miles the crag can be seen
on the right about 1/2 a mile from the road. Park in the lay-by on the main road
just past the turning for Ferney Chesters farm. Follow the footpath past the
farm to the crag. There is a right of access to the crag under CRoW.
A point of reference for finding the buttresses is Cave Buttress, the large
buttress on the left-hand side of the escarpment as you approach from the farm.
Cave Buttress
1. Cave Route Right Hand VS 4c
Start at the mouth of the cave. Climb the wall to gain the crack.
2. Cave Route Left Hand E3 6b
Climb the crack in the corner until undercuts lead awkwardly to the lip and an
easier finish.
3. Flake Crack HVS 5a
5m left of the mouth of the cave is a layback flake. Climb this awkwardly.
Café Noir Buttress
From Cave Buttress head right into the wood until you reach the tall
buttress with a large oak tree and, at the time of writing, a green barrel at
its base. This is Café Noir Buttress.
4. Café Noir 10m E3/4 5c **
Climb the arete on the left-hand side of the buttress. Quite delicate.
5. Cream Topping 10m E5 6c
Climb the crack just right of the left arete until its end, then make some very
hard moves off a small crystal and finish up a faint groove.
Two Tier Buttress
Just beyond Café Noir Buttress is the Triple Boulder, which has a higher
buttress above it. The next climb starts from the shelf on the top of the Triple
Boulder.
6. Shafted 9m E3 5c
Powerfully gain a flake, then continue more delicately up the slab above.
Turtle Rock
From Cave Buttress contour round the hillside until travelling in a
northerly direction. Follow the line of outcrops for a couple of hundred metres
until you reach the massive neb.This is Turtle Rock, which has a westerly
aspect.
7. Galapagos Turtle 8m E5 6a
Start at the centre of the south face of Turtle Rock. Gain the horizontal break
and then traverse left along it until it is possible to gain the ledge above.
Good protection can be arranged if you are strong enough to hang around.
Salters Nick
This is the escarpment which is about 200 metres north of Turtle Rock and
terminates at the track next to the dry stone wall. Although it has a number of
routlets and boulder problems, the only one described here takes the bottomless
arête about 100m right of the track.
8. Syco Sheep E4 6b
Start directly below the the bottomless arête. Climb up under the roof, pull out
left to a sloper and then up the arête and fluting to finish.
The Problems:
The Alcove
Antler and Deck V6/7
We may have done a new problem up the arête to the right of problem 1 on B24, which involved some good steep moves up to an antler shaped protrusion of rock and then buckets and flutes to finish, probably in the V6/7 region perhaps and enjoyable. Some holds were broken at the bottom, so there's every chance it had been done before.
Andi Turner and party January 2005
Butch Catch-me and
the Campus-board Kid V4 6a
Start right of Antler and Deck. Follow the crimps from a nice hold on the
lip of the overhang, up and right until you make a slap for a jug set back from
the edge of the lip.
Michael Troy 2006
Bait Cabin
Stockreisser 6b. Paul Bennett reports an interesting sit start problem up the centre of the wall behind the Cob Boulder, between the two existing problems, an obvious right hand side pull and a very small left hand pinch is used to dyno the centre of the wall, quite a long move. May be a sit start to problem 33 on page 200?
Paul Bennett 10th July 2003
Six Pack boulder
Alexis B4 6a
SS under the heavily undercut shelf half a metre in from the left. Move directly up to the highest of the crimps for left hand
then make a long reach out and right for a sloping crimp just below the lip and mantel to finish.
Graeme Read 1st June 2003 first recorded ascent.
Steve Crowe on Graeme Read's "new" problem at Shaftoe.
Andy Cowley adds a hard new problem at Shaftoe. I had tried it on the Saturday and went back up with Troy on Sunday who nearly nicked it off me! I reckon on a grade of Font 7a+/7b (6b/c) and would like to call it ‘Broken Hearts are for A**holes’ after a Frank Zappa track. I do have almost a whole photo sequence of the problem if you’d like me to send any for the web page. I have to say Troy is a lot more photogenic than me!
Troy repeating Broken Hearts are for A**holes Font 7a+/7b (6b/c), The Neb, Shaftoe
Troy's Eliminate 6a/b
Dishpan alley area. The problem starts in the square hole between Mantel Madness and the right arête, then goes up to the obvious ledges via a side pull to the right of the arête. Then top out, without using the arête at any point.
"I would be surprised if it hasn`t been done before; grade is
probably in the 6a/b range." Troy
Karins Problem, The Rift B4 6a (see NMC bouldering guide page 202)
A mantelshelf problem right of Bob Smith's classic Perpetual Motion may well have been climbed before but never recorded.
Karin Magog 24th April 2002
SHAFTOE, The Routes
NGR: NZ 053816
Café Noir E4 5c **
From the old crag head left into the wood to a tall buttress with a large
oak tree and a green barrel in front of it. Climb the arête on the left hand
side of the slabby buttress. Quite delicate.
FA Tim Catterall 1/3/97
Cream Topping E5 6c
Climb the left hand side of the slabby buttress, right of Café Noir. Well
protected where it counts.
FA Bob Smith 1997
Shafted E3 5c
Right of Café Noir and Cream Topping is a slabby wall with some possibilities
for more routes, beyond this is and alcove. Right of the alcove is Two Tier
Buttress. Powerfully gain a left slanting flake, then step right and continue more delicately up the slab
above.
FA Steve Crowe (solo) 4 July 1997
Galapagos Turtle E5 6a
Turtle Rock is the boulder which overlooks Shaftoe Grange farm. Traverse
west along the break until a brave move gains the top.
The Gallery:
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| Shaftoe from the North | North Buttress | They all flock to The Rift. | Karin in The Rift |
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| Mantelshelf problem right of Perpetual Motion in The Rift B4 6a | Noel Craine on Problem 6, Arete Land | Dyno Dan on a slabby Main Buttress problem 11 | Mike Rudden on Problem 3 Smith's Rocks B5 6b |
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| Karin on the Jubilee Traverse B5 6a | Karin on Pure Endurance B6 6a | Go on Noel, I'm watching you! Noel Crane cranking up The Cob | Karin catching the evening rays on Smiths Rocks |
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| Steve Crowe on Bob Smiths classic traverse Perpetual Motion B9 6b | Steve Crowe on Bob Smiths classic traverse Perpetual Motion B9 6b | Troy's Eliminate 6a/b, just right of Mantel madness but avoiding the arête. | Troy's Eliminate 6a/b, just right of Mantel madness but avoiding the arête. |
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Northumberland Climbing Guide The definitive guide to climbing routes in Northumberland. Updates available from the NMC here.
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The Northumberland Bouldering Guide The Second Edition of the guide was written and produced by the people who developed the area. Updates available from the NMC here.
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For more information about this crag visit the NMC website.