Crag Description
Blackford Quarry is located behind (on the South side of) Blackford Hill in Edinburgh and the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh. The area is part of a park (The Hermitage) therefore there are certain rules that need to be observed within the park's boundaries. The most important of these are
- No Driving
- No Cycling
I'm not sure what type of rock the quarry consists of, but the good bouldering is on the jaggy variety.
Recommended Routes
We will normally try to describe a couple of routes that are
worthwhile
but there is little for the established climber
here.
However if you are just learning to lead or would
like to try top-roping outside then this venue cold be ideal for a
first visit.
The Climbing
The climbing here is OK
.
The rock is mainly solid, though there are a few loose flakes, and
it offers little protection. There are however many easy routes and
quite a few harder routes available. This is a nice place to spend
a warn evening learning to lead, or just to climb. There are nice
solid bolts at the top making it easy to top-rope most of the
routes.
The climbs are mainly about 10-20 metres long. There are a variety of types of climbs, too. Flakes, cracks and horrible slabby things can all be found here, and if you like your rock crumbly, you should be able to find something...
Bouldering
Agassiz Rock (?) is ideal for an afternoons bouldering. In fact,
most people who come to Blackford for climbing actually come to
boulder. The rock has some lovely traverses (both ways) and a
couple of hard crack traverses, too. There should be a
problem
for everyone.
The rock faces due south and gets the sun all day in the summer. There's a patch of grass in front of the rock where you can sun-bathe if you're brave enough. The rock itself is really jagy and overhangs nicely. This means that it can still be dry during a heavy downpour!
Getting there...
The best way to get here is as follows...
From EDINBURGH town centre (Princes Street). Head
up North Bridge from the east end of Princes Street. Continue down
this road (becoming Minto St.) until you come to a roundabout.
(You'll see Cameron toll shopping centre behind it).
From here, go straight across and head for Liberton Brae.
BLACKFORD GLEN ROAD will be on yur right-hand
side. Turn up there and park at the end.
Access from here is entirely by foot along the paths. The bouldering crag is a two minute walk along the path, it's on your right-hand side. The quarry is up the hill a little to the right from here (you'll see the path).
Access
There are no access issues. Please ensure you observe the Park
Rules at all times. These are posted at the entrances.
There is also a lot of wildlife in the park, please respect it.
Amenities
Cameron Toll shopping centre is very close by. (Turn left at the end of Blackford Glen Road (as you leave)). This has all the usual supermarkets, car-parking and fuel services.
