Quad Rocks

I've been a bit lapse with the blog recently, with my only excuse being that the things I've been up to not being climbing related and therefore I don't have to do write it up. I do think that writing up helps when I look back on what I've been up to when people ask me! I'm therefore going to start writing up what else I get up to on the road and mountain bikes and stuff as well... well that's the theory!

So on that note the parents and Adam came up and stayed in Callender for the week. I therefore took long weekends both this and last weekend. The weather conditions were fluctuating all week but they still had a good time, where we went to the Fringe in Edinburgh on the Monday as well as doing quite a few walks and a bit of late evening  MTB around Callender Crags with Adam. They drove home yesterday, dropping me off around midday. By mid afternoon I was in Balloch with Rosie for a brisk walk as it was a super day, which ended up like all good days should with ice cream down by the Loch.

This afternoon Andy and Nathan picked me up after they finished work, and we headed to Quad Rocks in Largs via a scenic detour through Prestwick (we missed the turning!). I have to say I wasn't expecting much from the place having heard everything was super easy, however I found a few harder things (for me) to have a crack on. Plus there is a cracking view over to Arran, which was complemented by the moody weather we had at points. (free guide here)

Arran at the back with Cumbre and Largs in the foreground

Nathan happy after
his first HVS second

Andy wasn't up for leading as it had been a while and he still isn't too confident with trad yet, so I ended up leading all day which I didn't mind at all.We started on the Severe 'Big Corner', before moving onto Flake Wall (HVS), where I guessed the route and from the description it could be said I did a slight variant but at the grade climbing between the wall and the grassy crack, though not using this. Nathan put in an excellent performance following me up this before Andy stripped it.




I finished the day by doing the Severe 'Slab and Corner' and an arête on the lower crag on the way out before mideageddon! Anything on this lower crag would give some good easy solo's to go at, with everything in the guide being below VDiff or thereabouts.

The only other people at the crag on  Big Corner

                   Flake Wall - easy start good climbing further up

Quad Rocks Main Crag. Big Corner in centre picture