Muchalls Shore: The Grim Hole Area
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The Grim Hole is a local name for the spectacular through cave on the massive stack/knap that just manages to stay attached to the mainland at high tide, straight out to sea from the approach path, although it is also known as Ship Hole. This area extends from the cave southwards, taking in several smaller stacks in the first subsidiary bay and including problems worked out on the blocky foreshore just to the north of the obvious sea stack in the middle of the main bay.
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Austraila Boulder (NON-TIDAL)
This is the closest boulder to the wooden steps, located a short distance towards the Grim Hole cave. On its north side, it presents a face vaguely reminiscent of a map of Australia (go on, use your imagination!) which provides three worthwhile problems. The remaining problems are described anticlockwise.
1. Bruce V0- 4a
Sit start at the base of the left arête. Climb it.
1a. Eliminate Traverse V1 5a
This face can be traversed starting up Bruce and avoiding the top as far as the right arete and rocking over. Cramped.
2. Sheila V1 5b *
Sit start with both hands on the right-facing sidepull. Pull on and continue to the top. A balancy (and heightist) eliminate uses no holds on the face after the starting sidepull to gain the top.
3. Skippy V2 5c
Starting in roughly the same place, pull on using any two of the three good crimps and continue to the top. Fingery.
4. Flight Tonight V3/4 6a *
On the landward face of the boulder is a small bottomless slab. From a sitting start at the obvious sunken block on the lip, make some thin and complicated moves on sharp holds to rockover leftwards onto the slab. The problem has also been done heelhooking up and right instead.
4a. Flight Right V0 5a
Eliminate on the arete to the right of FT. Holds on the sides of the small supporting boulder, bit not the top are used.
5. Winter Solstice V0 5a
Sit start at the rippled wall to the right of Flight Tonight. Pull up on any of a variety of holds and mantle the middle of the block.
6. Joey V0 4c
Mantel onto slab on the seaward side of the boulder (just left of Bruce).
The Grim Hole Knap (TIDAL)
This name has been given to the huge isolated headland/stack containing the Grim Hole itself, taken from the similar features at Downies, to the north. There is abundant rock on this headland, varying from immaculate close to the sea, to the worst crumbly rubbish imaginable higher up. Traversing either of the inside walls of the cave is a project awaiting the attention of a talented deep water soloist on a fine summer's day.
On its south facing wall, opposite Ministack (see opposite), there is a wall of good quality rock which deteriorates with height. The ground underneath is uneven, and good and spotting is advised. The following problems lie on this wall, described from right to left. The right hand section has been dubbed The Campusboard.
1. Right Off V1/2 5b
From a standing start on two blocky sidepulls on the lip, pull on and climb the face to a move to a good hold up on the right edge/arête. Either traverse right to easier ground, or drop off.
2. Elliminati V3 5c/6a
From the sidepulls at the start of Right Off, head directly up the middle of the face following the obvious crack to a good hold above the vertical crack. Thin crimpy climbing, and a bit of an eliminate.
3. Cornerstone.org V2 5c *
From good incut layback for left hand and jug above lip, climb the small hanging groove/flake to jugs below lip. Drop off. Can be done from a sitting start at the same grade (good moves).
3.5. Who Nose? V2 5c
From the sitting start of Cornerstone.org, gain the jug above the lip as for that problem and then make a big span up and left to a flake/sidepull tucked in below the left side of the triangular roof above. From this, pull over the widest part of the roof to finishing jugs.
4. 1-2-4-7 V1 5b
From two slopers on the lip, pull up on a couple of good crimps to a break. Drop off.
5. Solstice Slopers V0+ 5a *
Further inland is a nose/prow just right of a small groove. Sit start on a slopey jug and climb a series of sloping shelves until it is possible to rock onto a jug. Drop off or downclimb. Could be made harder and better by eliminating holds on left, but some foothold cleaning would be required.
Just right of this are some horrific frictionless slopers that have not yet been climbed.
6. Row’s Nose V0 4c
Landward again is an obvious nose. From a sitting start, layback up good holds to a mantle finish.
Ministack (TIDAL)
This is the squat pinnacle immediately south of the Grim Hole headland, which is only accessible for a couple of hours either side of high tide. It has a very steep north face, a slabby, quartz-streaked south face and easier rocks on the landward and seaward sides which are convenient for access and descent. The rock is excellent.
1. Simeon 7m Severe *
The prominent crack up the right side of the quartz on the south face.
It is possible to climb the left edge of this face at Difficult.
2. Sabre 7m Very Difficult
The converging diagonal cracks starting as for Simeon and moving rightwards.
Starting in front of a large boulder and climbing directly up the compact wall to finish as for Sabre gives a pleasant Very Difficult on immaculate rock.
3. Scoopy Doo 6m Very Difficult
At the north end of the seaward face, a prominent slabby scoop can be gained and climbed from directly below.
4. Many a Meikle Makes a Muchall V1 5b S1 *
This problem starts from the largest of the tidal boulders underneath the steep north face of the stack (most easily gained from the seaward side) and so can only be done at lowish tide, making the prospect of a fall particularly unappealing given the boulders lying in wait under the surface of the rock pool. Step off the large boulder and pull on to make a couple of hard moves up and right into the much easier crack in the centre of the face.
5. Smile Around the Face V2 5b S1 *
Best done at mid-tide when it is possible to gain access to the Ministack via the Jabba boulder. Starting from the sloping ledges of Cracking (see below), swing down onto the nose at a good hold above the bulge, and then make a succession of steep moves to gain a good hold on the arête and an easier finish. An obvious direct start looks possible, but a non-absorbent mat and/or spotters in waders is advised. There is also potential for a harder variation further left.
On both these routes, the fall has not been tested so the "S" grade is a guess.
6. Cracking 8m Very Difficult
On the north side of the landward face, a short crack splits the upper wall. Gain this by a small awkward corner and moves leftwards on sloping ledges, and follow it to the top. Not well protected. A worthwhile and exposed variation continues leftwards past the ledges to the extreme edge of the face before heading to the top on unexpected holds.
Jabba the Hut (TIDAL)
Sitting immediately landwards of the Ministack, this boulder is reminiscent of the Turtle boulder at Craigmarroin, except it's not as extensive, the landing is better and the friction is worse!
1. Lip Traverse V3 5c/6a
Done left to right, starting from the big ledge and finishing by rocking over onto the top once you get to the good holds common with Right Wing Extremist. There is scope to extend this traverse rightwards, but on much bigger hand and footholds.
2. The Nose V1 5b *
Sit start immediately below the prominent nose on the lowest slopers. Pull on and haul yourself over the top, making grateful use of the dome-like jug set well back from the lip. The tall can also start on the big sloper on the lip itself, but this is clearly cheating.
3. Right Wing Extremist V3 5c/6a *
From a sitting start as for The Nose, pull right to the big, frictionless sloper and rock up rightwards to make a long reach for a good hold. Very height dependent, but very good moves. A lower start has been added moving off crimps down and to the left of the nose. Nice moves, but the last is still the crux.
Winklepicker Wall (TIDAL)
The low wall opposite and facing the Jabba the Hut boulder.
1. Barnacle Viscera V1 5b
Sitting start with both hands in an odd shaped hold and pull up to top using some fine small slopers following the line of a hairline crack. Any of a collection of damp holds for feet.
2. Winklepicker V0 5a *
Sitting start with right hand on a good small flat hold, and left on the odd hold of the previous problem. Pull up to a diagonal slot and holds on the lip by a crack.
The Mermaid Boulder (TIDAL)
This is a little south facing wall on the next sizeable boulder south of Winklepicker Wall. It is only accessible at very low tide.
1. Little Mermaid V0+ 5a
Climb the little wall from a sitting start in the line of a right-trending flake.
The Trackside Boulder (NON TIDAL)
Walking south round the bay from the Australia Boulder, a path soon appears in the grass beyond the pebbles and leads on to the remaining developed areas. A short distance along this path, a small rock pool has to be passed, and immediately beyond this is a boulder hard against the right side of the track with a hanging slab facing south. The following problems lie on this boulder.
1. Punk Ass V2 5c
From a sitting start on the obvious break, pull on and turn the lip onto the slab above. Crimpy. The big block on the right is allowed for feet, though the problem has been done without it.
2. Punk Ass Low Variation V2 5c
Make a sitting start low on the right off of the big block. Reach up to the lip and traverse this leftwards to join and finish up the original. Not much harder, but adds another couple of pleasant moves.
The Deceptive Boulder (TIDAL)
Out to sea and just south of the Trackside Boulder is a collection of larger boulders. Deceptive Wall lies on the north facing side of the biggest boulder. Conveniently, it sits above a small collection of pebbles which provide a good landing
1. Deceptive Wall V1 5b *
Sit start on a pair of slopers. Pull up to two further slopers and use these to reach the juggy lip. An excellent wee problem, possibly hard for the grade.
The south side of the Deceptive Boulder presents an unusual-looking series of slopers which resemble the crests of waves (if you tilt your head 90˚). Two problems climb this feature.
2. Vertical Wave V1 5b *
From a sitting start with a heel hooked over the crest of the lowest wave, pull on, reach back and right to gain the sloping crest of the second wave and then the top. Great fun and great moves, with a sit-down rest available if you want it!
3. The Lesser of Two Waves V0+ 5a
From the same sitting start, rock up onto the left foot and reach leftwards for a good crimp and an easy finish.
The next boulder towards the big stack from Deceptive Wall has an easy angled slabby face on it's seaward side which provides a pleasant bimble. A sitting start from amongst the boulders at it's base would be hard.
The Mantel Block (TIDAL)
Between the Trackside and Deceptive Boulders is a small cube-shaped boulder. It's north end presents a short square wall with a sloping lip.
1. Mantel Block VB
Mantel the sloping lip from a sitting start. Eliminate, but enjoyable. It is also possible to finish by rocking over on the right, but this is not as good.
