New Routes – Symonds Yat

Additional info:
On sight lead, by Jamie Tew. Has been seconded by Ryan Lewis, Dan Wilbraham and Thomas Stone.

Additional info:
Instu rope to use as a belay point at the top. Onsite lead by Jamie Tew, seconded by Thomas Stone

Additional info:
Undoubtedly climbed before as it is an obvious line. Best avoided during nesting season as Jackdaws use the crack for nesting.

Comment

The description of this route as being the best at Symonds Yat should be removed. There is about 25ft of HVS climbing after which it gives way to ledges and vegetation. If this is the best route here why would I ever want to do another one?

Symonds Yat > Final Zone > New Orleans Buttress

Big Plop

9 S
26-May-2018, Andy Stewart, Graham Sven Hassall
At the New Orleans Buttress there is a large square cut cave bounded by ‘Plop’ on the left and ‘Mississippi’ on the right. ‘Big Plop, starts in the right corner at the back of the cave: Climb the corner to the roof, then out right to thin vertical crack. Follow the crack to top out staying left of the tree and avoiding the arête. Large but suspect protection in the top half of the crack.

Symonds Yat > Final Zone > New Orleans Buttress

Slimy Plop

18 VS
26-May-2018, Andy Stewart, Graham Sven Hassall
At the New Orleans Buttress there is a large square cut cave bounded by ‘Plop’ on the left and ‘Mississippi’ on the right. ‘Slimy Plop’, starts at chest height, one metre in from the back left corner of the cave: Climb a line of pockets and layaways to the centre of the cave, from here go up to follow a hand traverse until it blanks out. Use the undercut pocket below to transfer into the corner of ‘Big Plop’. Climb this route to the top (in the right corner at the back of the cave: Climb the corner to the roof, then out right to thing vertical crack. Follow the crack to top out staying left of the tree and avoiding the arête. Large but suspect protection in the top half of the crack.

Doward > Leeping Stocks > Dark Mavis Wall

Dads’ Route

8m HVS, 5c
21-Dec-2014, Andy Stewart, Graham Sven Hassall
The crack/groove between Incubation and Dark Mavis. A preplaced lower off sling on the tree above is recommended to avoid the loose blocks at the top.

Symonds Yat > The Hollow Rock Area > Green Slab

Porcini Pump House

15m VS 4b
07-Jul-2019, Russell Gibbons
Symonds Yat, Hollow Rock Area – Green Slab Start by a recent rockfall in the gully immediately left of “Crack and Slab”. Move up the loose left facing corner to the ledge. 2 meters left of the tree is a crack on the left edge of the slab. Climb this and the wall just right of it to the top. A really nice find and probably worth a star and maybe only HS once it cleans up. First ascent Russell Gibbons and Felix Ottey.

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Doward

Owain Glyndŵr

10m VD
07-Aug-2019, Sven Hassall and Owain Hassall
This route is in Sir J Bailey’s Quarry on P96 of the 2012 Wye Valley Supplement: Owain Glyndŵr, VD 10m. Start at cleaned ledge at the base of ‘Fascinator’ and climb the groove up and to the left, steping left onto the face when required. Good gear throughout on the left. Rope lower-off and mallion in place, which avoids the steep leafy top out that characterises the cliff here. Image shows Owain Hassall seconding the first ascent.

Doward

Owain ‘n’ Glyn’s Door

9m HVS 4c
12-Aug-2019, Andy Stewart, Sven Hassall
This route is in Sir J Bailey’s Quarry, covered in the Wye Valley Supplement: Start in the centre of the left wall at an obvious arch, two meteres left of ‘Fascinator’; The climb straight through the arch and direct to the tree and lower off above on the steep wall with very good holds throughout. Gear is sufficient when required but is not always obvious. Rope lower-off and mallion in place, which avoids the steep leafy top out that characterises the cliff here. FA Andy Stewart and ‘Sven’ Hassall

Symonds Yat > Final Zone > New Orleans Buttress

Your Behind

01-Jan-1970,
‘Your Behind’ climbs the left facing wall to the left of ‘How D’ya Like Them Apples?’. Climb straight up the centre of the wall with the use of side pulls where required. Well protected throughout with a good belay on top of the pillar.

Symonds Yat > The Far South Buttress > Rainbow Wall

Tony Penning Living Legend

01-Jan-1970,
1m left of Pam’s Pride is a shallow but obvious corner and groove. Climb the corner to the shallow roof, which is passed by moving left then right to re-join the groove above (Crux). Technically low in the grade but with a distinct and poorly protected crux. FA Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Marius Smith 20/09/19 Repeated by Tony Penning and Party 20/09/19

Symonds Yat > Final Zone > New Orleans Buttress

Stinky Plop

10m VS 4c
31-May-2020, Owain Hassall, Millie Smith, Evan Hassall
Low in the grade but poorly protected in the first half. 1m to the right of Mississippi is a shallow groove split at half height by an earthy ledge. Climb the groove with a difficult and unprotected start (crux), eschewing holds and protection on the neighbouring route.

Symonds Yat > The Hollow Rock Area > Green Slab

Woah Bear!

8m Diff
01-Jan-1970,
“Woah Bear” Diff 8m To the left of Recall is the ‘tree route descent’. Climb this to the top, where there is a corner and 8m wall to the left. Climb the corner and left wall. Good rock and good gear lead to the viewpoint shared with Snoozin Suzie. FA 05/06/20 by Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall, Evan Hassall, Owain Hassall Repeated by Marius Smith and party 05/06/20

Symonds Yat > The Hollow Rock Area > Hollow Rock Buttress

Sleeping Sarah

33m, Severe, **
01-Jan-1970,
Start at the extreme right end of the cave, at the overhanging groove and one metre to the left of the now crumbling Snoozin Suzie start (pictured in the guide). Climb the groove (crux) then step left onto the arête. Climb the arete to the ledge (good belay possible) and then the obvious crack to another possible belay. Step left to the arête and follow it to the top, finishing at the three trunked tree. Great climbing and gear throughout, only spoiled by a little loose rock at the top. Every bit as good as its neighbour and a nice alternative if its busy, being only slightly higher in the grade. The name is for my wife Sarah, who after joining me on many new routes over the years, passed away in unexpected circumstances in October 2019. First Ascent: Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Marius Smith, 07/06/20

Symonds Yat > Final Zone > New Orleans Buttress

Type 2 Fun

9m HS 4b
02-Sep-2019
Owain Hassall, Millie Smith, Evan Hassall
Type 2 Fun, HS 4b, 9m Start 2m to the right of How D’Ya Like Them Apples. Climb the corner and right wall of the pillar. Better than the name suggests! FA Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Marius Smith, 02/09/19

Symonds Yat > The Waterpipe Bay > Upper Tier

Temik Direct

01-Jan-1970,
HS 4b 15m A direct start to Temik. Start midway between Temik and Locust; climb the excellent rock wall on crimps and small edges for 5m before joining the original line of Temik. A straight line from start to finish; a little harder but on much better rock and protection than the original. Independent of its neighbours. FA 28/06/20 Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall

Symonds Yat > The Far South Buttress

Let there be light

01-Jan-1970,
Clarification notes for ‘Let There Be Light’ (P155 on the guide): When I wrote this section of the guide, LTBL was under 2m deep ivy and without permission to strip, was left alone. Following four years of FC endorsed clean ups through ‘YatFest’ the line is now revealed. Having climbed all over this part of the rock now, I can categorically confirm that the line is FOUR metres to the left of the cave, not six as per the route description. It however better described as “Starting 1m to the left Emerald, where there is a large pocketed groove. Climb the groove (which requires very large gear or ingenuity to protect) to stand on the pedestal. Step left onto the excellent although sadly short wall above, and climb right of the crack to the top. A unique route that is worthy of more traffic.” Having climbed this today, I can also confirm the route sits low in the grade of VS 4c. Furthermore, the route described to the left of the buttress, ‘Rockery’ was destroyed recently by a large tree falling from the top of the crag, bringing a lot of the less stable rock with it. There are no alternative lines in this area. Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall

Symonds Yat > Bowlers Hole Buttress > The Central Section

Route Comment: Smoaker

01-Jan-1970,
Somewhat aggrieved to see the top pitch as first ascended has been attributed to Linda’s Route. This was the original objective of the route and a much better finish at a sustained grade. Ref: Chronology p 301 – Please note for future reference my second for this route was Jon von Anrep, not J. Aurep.

Symonds Yat > The Far South Buttress > The End Rocks

Route Comment: Sagitta

01-Jan-1970,
Please note a typo in the chronology section p.293 where E Aden should read E Adey

Symonds Yat > The Long Stone Area > Long Stone: The Pinnacle

Route Comment: Orange Wall

01-Jan-1970,
Please note a typo in chronology p 293 – first ascentionists D Jury, E Adey & K Jury

Symonds Yat > Bowlers Hole Buttress > The Southern Wing

Neighbours From Hell

12m D
21-Jul-2020, Freddie Hemingway
To the left of Seth’s Cloth and the right of a large flake. Climb up the groove, move left of the tree, then climb direct over easy blocks to a very large tree belay.

Symonds Yat > The Far South Buttress > The Left-Hand Buttress

Drum – Dim Straen

E1 5b 15m
01-Jan-1970
Climbs the centre of the wall between Stress Arete/Black Nun on the left and the exit corner of Wimple on the right. Climb Stress arête for 3 m to a narrow ramp going up and to the right, take the ramp and then ascend the centre of the wall on crimps and small pockets. First recorded ascent (although we had definitely climbed it sometime before this, was 1st march 2009 by Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Bob Thomas. The route was climbed in error, hence the name Drum – Dim Straen, welsh translation for ‘Not Stress Arête!’.

Doward

Broken Bones

01-Jan-1970,
VD 20m The climb is on the central wall of the ‘Celestial Walls’ on the Doward, covered in the Wye Valley Supplement. The most obvious line at the crag – the blocky rising traverse from the bottom-right of the central wall to the in-situ lower offs in the top-centre. The line has now been cleared of the jungle like brambles and some loose rock removed. This is now a nice easy and well protected route. First Ascent on the 23rd August 2020 by Millie Smith and Owain Hassall, both aged 10! Route named for their 9 year old partner in crime (Evan) sitting this one out with a broken arm.

Forest Stone > Staple Edge > Staple Edge Quarry

Secatouring

30m HVD 4a ☆☆
17-Oct-2020, Colin Knowles, Evan Hall
Staple Edge Quarry Secatouring HVD** 30m First Ascent: Colin Knowles, Evan Hall 17/10/20 A good excursion with exciting final moves. Possibly the only traverse at this standard in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. Whilst it is mostly well protected, care is needed with ropework. Start easily up The Tiffin Club, until level with a ledge line that runs leftwards across the entire width of the Great Slab. Arrange protection then shuffle leftwards, passing good protection in a wide crack, under a tree, then over a second tree. As the exposure starts to bite shuffle on leftwards until bridging across a small cave. Arrange good protection and step delicately left round the fragile nose to take a belay at two sturdy beech trees. Though an exit over steep mossy ground is possible, lowering off the trees is recommended.

The Eastern Slabs > Shakemantle > Upper Lift

Route Comment: Richard the Second

01-Jan-1970,
The 2010 Symonds Yat guidebook description for this route (13) on page 244 states that the route location has not been confirmed. However, the photodiagram does show the location correctly, so this route location statement should be avoided in any future guidebook update.

The Eastern Slabs > Shakemantle > Upper Lift

Route Comment: Going Deeper Underground

01-Jan-1970,
The location of this route (14) as shown on the photodiagram on page 244 of the 2010 Symonds Yat guidebook is probably incorrect, because the route description refers to climbing past a small overlap on the slab. This feature does not exist at this location, but there is a small overlap on this slabby tier at a location which is several metres to the right of the finish of Wastad (route 22). Any future guidebook update should address this discrepancy.

Symonds Yat > The Eastern Slabs > Shakemantle > Lower Lift

Route Comment: Thank You Laura

01-Jan-1970,
This route 16 on page 245 was originally known as Rash, with a first ascent by J. Phillips (solo) on 14th August 1990. The description was:- Climb the slab left of the slab containing Trash, no gear, E1 5a. It was described in the (R Kingston) Wye Valley – Update – October 1990 – Issue 1, on page 40. There were 3 routes described for the lower tier, but only Trash and Garbage Grinder were included in the 1997 Wye Valley guidebook. The print for the Rash description was relatively faint, which may explain why it was missed. Any future guidebook should correct the route name, the details of the first ascensionist, and the chronology.

The Eastern Slabs > Shakemantle > Lower Lift

Afterthought

17m HVS 4c
15-Sep-2018, M J Ward, R E Evans
Start approximately 2m left of We Are All Living Beyond Our Means. Climb up the left side of the slab, moving slightly right to pass a block near the top.

The Eastern Slabs > Shakemantle > Lower Lift

The Avenue

13m HS 4b
04-Jul-2018, M J Ward (solo)
Start halfway between Thank You Laura and Trash, just below a silver birch tree. Climb the slab following a line just to the left of a shattered crack.

Scott’s Quarry

Step-Motherly Love

01-Jan-1970,
The route is in the centre of the right hand cliff in the quarry. 2m to the left of Motherly Love is an obvious rightward trending crack. Take this to the ‘Mother and Child’ blocks of Motherly Love but then take the left crack to top out 1m left of the tree. FA 13/02/21 Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Marius Smith.

Doward > Slippery Jem

Original Route

16m MS
01-Jan-1970,
Original Route Mild Severe, 16m The obvious groove in the centre of the crag. Reasonably well protected but more technical than it looks. First recorded ascent 03/07/20 by Marius Smith & Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall (and party), but a surprising, rusted to dust, ancient peg at 2/3 height (crux) suggests prior activity.

Doward > Slippery Jem

Bloody Knees

16m MS ★★
06-Mar-2021, M Smith, G Hassall
Bloody Knees, MS, 16m ** Start at the groove in the centre of the crag (as for Original Route). Climb to 1/3 height until able to step right onto a protruding nose/small ledge. Step right again and onto the upper wall with a lot of space below you; climb on large pocket jugs and excellent gear, staying as close to the arete as you dare. A two star route for the top wall, which were it longer, would be deserving of a third and strong reputation. Named for the FA’s painful combination of short trousers and use of the knees to top out. FA 06/03/21, Marius Smith and Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall

Doward > Slippery Jem

Slippery Gem

16m E2 5b/c
05-Jul-2020, G Hassall, M Smith
Slippery Gem, E2 5b/c, 16m An excellent pumpy fight up the arete on the left half of the crag. Start below what looks like a loose lump of rock at 4m. Climb up to this (it wobbles but is firmly wedged in and remains so with a couple of cams here placed for protection. Make a couple more moves up before committing to large holds just slightly right of the arete (crux – dead-point for the long, dyno for the short. I’m I’m 178cm and it was a dyno!!). Gain these and then make another difficult and pumpy move up left and finish up the arete. An exciting crux! FA 05/07/20 by Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Marius Smith.

Doward > Slippery Jem

Happy Monkeys

10m VD
05-Jul-2020, G Hassall, M Smith and Hassall family
Happy Monkeys VD, 10m Start at the base of the leftward facing crag, just as the bank starts to rise (on the left side of the crag). Follow the obvious weaknesses up the centre of the wall. Nice but eliminate and escapable for most of the way. FA 05/07/20 Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall, Millie Smith, Evan Hassall, Owain Hassall.

Doward > Dennis Grove > Little Doward Tower

The People’s Elbow

01-Jan-1970,
When approaching Dennis Grove from the East (and the Doward car park), you cross a stile and are immediately in a small gorge with limestone walls on each side, the left (downhill) of which is the back end of the Little Doward Tower. The right (up hill) wall is 7m at its highest but has some excellent short and obvious problems, bounded on the left by an obvious deep cave and on the right by a rise in the path and a disappearance of the cliff. The People’s Elbow S, 7m Climb the obvious line of cracks and concretions 4m to the right of the cave. FA 31/05/21 Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall

Doward > Dennis Grove > Little Doward Tower

The Hairy Tree

01-Jan-1970,
When approaching Dennis Grove from the East (and the Doward car park), you cross a stile and are immediately in a small gorge with limestone walls on each side, the left (downhill) of which is the back end of the Little Doward Tower. The right (up hill) wall is 7m at its highest but has some excellent short and obvious problems, bounded on the left by an obvious deep cave and on the right by a rise in the path and a disappearance of the cliff. The Hairy Tree MS, 7m The upperwall of the mini gorge, has three obvious routes, the centre one having a small tree in the groove. This is the line of the ‘Hairy Tree’, with Essence Cat to its left and Rock Bottom to its right. Climb the obvious groove passing to the left of the tree. FA 31/05/21 Millie Smith(11), Owain Hassall(11), Evan Hassall(10)

Doward > Dennis Grove > Little Doward Tower

Rock Bottom

6m D
31-May-2021, Evan Hassall, Millie Smith, Owain Hassall
When approaching Dennis Grove from the East (and the Doward car park), you cross a stile and are immediately in a small gorge with limestone walls on each side, the left (downhill) of which is the back end of the Little Doward Tower. The right (up hill) wall is 7m at its highest but has some excellent short and obvious problems, bounded on the left by an obvious deep cave and on the right by a rise in the path and a disappearance of the cliff. Rock Bottom, Diff, 6m The upperwall of the mini gorge, has three obvious routes, the centre one having a small tree in the groove. This is the line of the ‘Hairy Tree’, with Essence Cat to its left and Rock Bottom to its right. Rock Bottom can also be identified by the lines left from the quarryman’s drill. Climb the obvious groove. FA 31/05/21 Evan Hassall(10), Millie Smith(11), Owain Hassall(11)

Doward > Dennis Grove

Millie Smith on Essence Cat

Essence Cat

7m E3 5c
31-May-2021, Owain Hassall, Marius Smith, Graham Hassall
To the left of The obvious groove and small tree of ‘The Hairy Tree’ is a bulging and technical wall climbed direct on crimps and momentum! Essence Cat, 5c unprotected, 7m FA Owain Hassall, Marius Smith, Graham Hassall

Doward

Sgwarnog

12m HVS 5a
14-Apr-2022, Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Robert ‘Bob’ Thomas. Both led.

The route is in Sir J Bailey’s Quarry, page 96 of the Wye Valley Supplement. One Star. Top of the grade. Close but independent of John Belsham. Start just to the left of the John Belsham chimney at an obvious crack. Follow the crack until it runs out into chicken heads, topping out at the bend tree above. pre-placed lower-off recommended.

Doward

Drws y Owain

11m HS 4a
16-Apr-2022, Robert (Bob) Thomas and Graham (Sven) Hassall. Both led.

The route is in Sir J Bailey’s Quarry, page 96 of the Wye Valley Supplement. Straight up the center of the wall between Owain Glyndwr and and Owain ‘n’ Glynn’s Door. Climb the centre of the wall straight up to the in-situ lower-off of Owain Glyndwr.

Symonds Yat > The Waterpipe Bay > Upper Tier

BravoSevenTango

01-Jan-1970,
BravoSevenTango, 15m, E1 5b. The wall between Parachute(2) and The Empty Days(2). Start 2m right of the tree of Parachute(2) and climb over the bulge and up the centre of the wall. An easier variation is possible at VS 4c (top limit of the grade)by climbing Parachute(2) for 2m and then traversing in to the right. First Ascent 20/05/22 Graham ‘Sven’ Hassall and Marius Smith.