Black Buttress
| Black Buttress | |
 | |
| Rock Type | Quarried Carboniferous Limestone |
|---|---|
| Climbing Style | Sport |
| Approach Time | 25 minutes |
| Area | Gower |
| Sub Area | Rhossili |
| Local Area | Rhossili Upper Crags |
| Geodata | |
| WGS-84 Location | 51.565474, -4.302656 |
| OS Grid Ref. | SS 404 876 |
| WGS-84 Parking Location | 51.569301, -4.28840 |
| GR Parking Location | SS 415 880 |
| Parking Postcode | SA3 1PP |
| Base Elevation | 12 metres (Other) |
| General Info | |
| Faces Direction | North West |
| Aspect | Partially Sunny |
| Wind Sheltered | Mostly |
| Climbing Type | Normal |
| Seepage | Quick drying |
| Crags Within 400m | |
|
Black Buttress, Calcite Bay, Carbon Slab, Evening Wall, Fat Lady Wall, Keel Buttress, Kitchen Corner, Lifebuoy Buttress, Mermaid Wall, Platform Area, Poser Buttress, Retribution Wall, Sheepbone Wall, Silent Fright Buttress, Silent Walls, Sinister Sister Zawn, Sinners Walls, Trial Wall, Wedge Wall, Windy Buttress | |
Contents
Tidal Status
non-tidal.
Bolting Policy
Retro-bolting permissible with first ascensionist's permission. Replacement of worn fixed gear on a point for point basis with bolts is permissible. New sports routes allowed as agreed recently by the NT and local BMC meeting.
Preamble
About 40m right of Lifebuoy Buttress are some black walls.
This area may be suitable for families with older children if approached directly from the top of the crag.
This large area is the site of an old quarry as are most of these upper crags.
Over at Black Buttress Right a number of sports routes have been added making a very agreeable place for a relaxed climb on a sunny evening.
Access
All access descriptions for Rhossilli Sea Level anmd Lower Crags start from the National Trust car park at Rhossili.
From the car park take the track heading out to Worm's Head for 800 metres to a point where the cliff edge comes close to the track and the track curves around to the left.
Continue along the track to a point where the it joins a wide grassy exspanse leading to the the Coastguard lookout.
From here walk 90 metres to a point on the clifftop just where there is a well-worn track leading down to the foot of Black Buttress.
Descents
All LOs. Even the trad route.
The Routes
Black Buttress Left
- Unnamed 15m 6b
There is a line of hangars on some suspect rock. Be aware. - A Life without Porpoise15m 6c+
Climb the arête to the right of Bragg to the grassy ledge. Climb directly up the steep wall above on thin edges (avoiding the loose groove to the right). Continue over the small overlap to the large ledge and the ring belay of the previous route. - Bragg 12m V Diff
Follow flakes and a corner in the centre. - Little Spider 10m VD
Up and 8 metres to the right of Bragg, Follow the crackline to the terrace.
Black Buttress Right
| Black Buttress Right | |
| Sport Grades | |
| <= 6a+ | 8 |
| 6b - 6c+ | 3 |
| 7a - 7b | 1 |
| >= 7b+ | 0 |
Further right in the quarry is a square block and lower down a crack seamed wall.
- Sloppy Seconds - HVS,5b
The crack in the left side of the block. Bolt with maillon to lower off. - The Edge - E4,6a
A perfect square-cut arête on the block. Unprotected. 5m. - Bits'n Bobs - VS,4c
The short but sharp retaining crack off the grass terrace. Bolt lower off. - Spittle and Spume - Fr. 6c
Short problem just left of the jam crack starting off the grassy ledge. - Fiff and Faff - VS,4c
Jam crack. - Footsie - Fr. 6a
The wall just right. - Pied Noir - Fr. 6c+
Start from the lower level up the groove, mantle then the tricky wall above. - Wonderful Land - Fr. 6c *
Excellent climbing to the shared belay. - Monica's Dress - Fr. 5+
Left at the short roof and up the twin cracks, excellent. - Spit it Out - Fr. 6a
Layback to gain the crack. Undercut flake leads to belay slightly to right. - Black Friday - Fr. 7a
Fingery direct up wall. - Can't Swallow That - Fr. 5
Crack to shared belay on left. - Down In One - Fr 5
The right hand of the two parallel cracks to the ledge, continue up the bolder arête to a single large ring bolt. 9m - The Beautiful People - Fr. 6a+*
Short but entertaining,the left side of the arête. 8m. - Spit'n Polish - Fr. 6a
The groove R of arête to shared belay. - Spic'n Span - Fr. 6a
The final little slab, tricky start to belay on arête.
Black Buttress Far Right
Even further right is a short pleasant slab.
Veggie Slab
| Black Buttress Far Right | |
| Sport Grades | |
| <= 6a+ | 5 |
| 6b - 6c+ | 0 |
| 7a - 7b | 0 |
| >= 7b+ | 0 |
- Fat End Of The Veg - Fr. 4
The short arête. - Vegimite - Fr. 4
As for Vegazzle then move L at block to belay of Fat End of the Veg - Vegazzle - Fr. 5+
Faint corner, block, moving R to shared belay. - Meat and Two Veg - Fr. 5
Slab leading to corner. - Veg? Ina - HS
Grass ledge, corner to shared belay of Veginismus without recourse to bolts. - Veginismus - Fr. 6a
Slab then easing to a step left into shared corner.
First Ascents
Black Buttress
- Unnamed - Stu Llewellyn 2011
- A Life without Porpoise - Pete Blackburn, Paul Tucker 2014
- Bragg - N.Williams, P.Williams 00.00.1978
- Little Spider - Joe Gallacher, Darren Evans 25.05.2011
Black Buttress Right
- Sloppy Seconds - R. Thomas 2016
- The Edge - A.Berry 00.00.1997
- Bits'n Bobs - R.thomas 2016
- Spittle and Spume - G. Gibson
- Fiff and Faff - G. Gibson
- Footsie - G. Gibson
- Pied Noir - G. Gibson
- Wonderful Land - G. Gibson
- Monica's Dress - R. Thomas
- Spit it Out - R. Thomas
- Black Friday - G. Gibson
- Can't Swallow That - R. Thomas G.Gibson 2016
- 'Down In One - Joe Squire 2009
- The Beautiful People - G.Morris, A.Berry 00.00.1997
- Spit'n Polish - R.Thomas R.Phillips 16.08.2013
- Spic'n Span - R.Thomas G.Gibson 2016
Veggie Slab aka Black Buttress Far Right
- Fat End Of The Veg - R.Thomas Tim Hoddy 20.05.2017
- Vegimite - - R.Thomas & Tim Hoddy 20.05.2017
- Vegazzle - R.Thomas & Tim Hoddy 20.05.2017
- Meat and Two Veg - R.Thomas & Tim Hoddy 20.05.2017
- Veg? Ina - R.Thomas & Tim Hoddy 20.05.2017
- Veginismus -R.Thomas & Tim Hoddy 20.05.2017
