Castle Rocks All Trad climbing 6 routes in area

The route follows a line up the right-hand side of the middle turret in the big red amphitheatre. Scramble up white rock to a higher ledge. The route climbs up and diagonals across left to the big roof.

1. Climb up to a flake and traverse right to a small grey face. Move up left to a crack and a ledge with blocks.

2. Traverse diagonally left over flakes and climb up to a small roof. Continue moving left to a narrow ledge.

3. Climb the bulging grey face on the left and move back right into the open-book. At the roof rail left to a cubbyhole.

4. Climb up on the right into a groove. At the top a long traverse left along rails leads to an easy break up the grey face above. Move left to a large ledge below overhangs.

5. Pull through the roof in the corner and continue up to the next set of roofs. Layback up to a long cave-like ledge (the 'Block Pitch').

6. Rail along left to a short corner. Move up to the roof and swing around right-wards. Climb the face above.

7. Climb the corner and the left-hand face of the open-book to a trick move across to the right-hand face. Move across to the right-hand arete and up to a ledge.

8. From the level of the ledge a finger-rail traverses the wall on the right. From the recess at the end move up and climb diagonally right over grey slabs to a ledge below a water-worn chimney [Variation: (15) instead of traversing the finger-rail, move up from the ledge for 2m to an easy handrail. Traverse right and continue up to the grey slabs].

9. Climb into the chimney and continue up, exiting left. Walk across to the top of the ramp on the right.

10. Move up and traverse right onto the main face. Climb the jugs tending rightwards to the top.

Descent: scrambling and two rappels down the gully between the main and the right-hand turret leads directly back to the start of the traverse line.

The route starts on the right-hand side of the main amphitheatre, in a crack system on the left-hand side of a pillar, above some trees. The line traverses the grey ramps above Apollo, and breaks through the roofs to the right of that route and below a prominent 'V'.

1. Scramble up to where the climbing begins steepening.

2. Climb the crack, moving left past a horrendous layback and make a hanging belay where a line of incut holds lead out left.

3. Traverse left. Move around some flakes and step down onto a block to continue traversing left until possible to move and back right to a blocky stance.

4. Climb up for 5m to where a finger-rail allows a traverse left into a corner. A tricky move up and left gains a rest, from where further traversing 15m left allows climbing up and back right to a stance.

5. Climb up on the right. Pull through a small bulge. Move up and traverse right to a stance.

6. Stand up on the block and pull up to the handrail. Rail left and pull through the roof on layback holds. at the next rail traverse left to a small stance.

7. Traverse left and move up to the roof. Climb out to the lip past two pegs, and continue to a stance.

8. Climb up on the right. Continue straight up and traverse right along the slab. The final two pitches are as for Apollo.

9. Climb into the chimney and continue up, exiting left. Walk across to the top of the ramp on the right.

10. Move up and traverse right onto the main face. Climb the jugs tending rightwards to the top.

Descent: scrambling and two rappels down the gully between the main and the right-hand turret leads directly back to the start of the traverse line.

The route takes a spectacular straight line up the middle of the Central Turret. The 200m or so of rock is superb, with fine, sharp holds. Points for nut runners and belays are good. A sickle-shaped break is the key to the overhangs. This leads to a water-worn groove, or large duct, running through the summit rocks, from which the route takes its name.

Scramble to the big ledge below the sheer rock face and start about 18m to the left of the prominent pillar belonging to 'Via Normale'.

1. 30m 'E3': Climb the break, heading for a ledge with a buchu tree below a prominent chimney on the right of a big flake. Traverse to the left below the flake, then step down, layback up, then traverse to the right and pull up to a small ledge on a corner next to some blocks.

2. 22m 'E1': Step up on the left, then bear diagonally to the right across the face up to the long 'Breakfast Ledge'.

3. 13m 'E3': Pull up slightly along the ledge to the right, move slightly to the right, then back diagonally and up to the left over a bulging face to a stance at the bottom of a V-shaped recess, where an old ring piton is to be found a bit higher up.

4. 28m 'F2': Step up on the left-hand corner, traverse to the left under the overhang, do one swing, then pull up onto a face by using a concave flake on the left to get up. Move back to the right and climb a straight face to a good stance.

5. 18m 'E3': Slightly up and to the left there is a big flake. Step up on this and then to the right on to a system of big layback flakes forming a tower. Climb up to a small ledge on top. ('Centrale' also climbs over this ledge after climbing the white face next to the tower for 3 m, then traversing to the right and moving up.)

6. 13m 'F1': Pull up (awkward take-off) into a short crack. Step up onto a platform forming a crack with loose blocks on it. Move up and traverse to the left around a bulge and up to a huge flake. Climb up on top of this.

7. 32m 'F2': Climb straight up a steep orange-brown, knobbly face to a horizontal rail where a fixed peg was left. Step up on the right to get the arms into an awkward jamming crack with a slippery, sloping slab next to it. Stretch right around a bulge for a finger-grip. Traverse into a corner. Avoiding pulling the loose prong off the ledge, use a good grip next to it to pull up onto a little shelf. Stand on the loose prong for extra height and using horizontal rails on the wall, stretch up for a small 'hole-grip' under the overhang. Once the good rail is reached, traverse to the right and pull onto a platform on the corner, which juts out above the whole cliff.

8. 30m 'F2': From the right-hand end, pull up onto the face. Climb up to a handrail, swing along it to the right across a sloping slab into nowhere. Pull up a bit higher, then swing round the next bulging edge, which has a good rail over the top. Traverse around a corner into a bottomless chimney, which is climbed. The last metre is very bushy and sandy as this chimney forms part of the duct which traps the water seepage.

9. 40m 'E2': Climb a short chimney between large rough, sandy boulders, with a chockstone jammed on top. Climb a huge chimney cleft directly above and exit through a wormhole to the top.

The lower portion of the face of the Central Turret is clearly divided into three sections by two distinct ribs of rock. The rib on the left is short, an 8o-foot pillar that forms the start of the Via Normale: while that on the right, considerably higher, constitutes the major sections of the Via Diretta. Between them lies an amphitheatre of smooth, light-grey slabs sweeping up to merge eventually into the red overhangs beneath the summit. This is the start of the Via Centrale. The beacon that marks the foot of the first pitch will be found approximately 100 feet to the right of some large blocks leaning against the face at the base of the amphitheatre, almost directly below the prominent grey rib that provides the key to the final sections through the overhangs.

1. 40 feet 'B': Climb diagonally left up a short crack and sloping face to a narrow, horizontal ledge cutting right across the amphitheatre.

2. 70 feet 'D': Walk left along this ledge until it peters out. A further is-foot dassie traverse, step-down and climbing traverse, where the horizontal slit is blocked, leads to the continuation of the ledge.

3. 3o feet 'D': The ledge ends 6o feet to the left beneath an obvious recess. Move diagonally left into the recess and tip a short chimney to another broad ledge. Walk 200 feet to the left to the base of a steep, lichen-covered face immediately to the right of the So-foot pillar on the Via Normale.

4. 120 feet 'F': The Lichen Face. Climb the recessed corner next to the pillar for 25 feet before working diagonally right and up the grey, lichen-covered face to a band of small over- hangs on the same level as the top of the pillar. Continue straight up over a loose block inserted in the face and up a rather scruffy face to a small stance.

5. 20 feet 'D': Easier rock to the left leads to the bottom of a 60-foot ramp sloping diagonally up to the right just above a large tree. Scramble to the top of the ramp.

6. 30 feet 'E sup.': A short vertical face is ascended on the right of the ramp to the level of a thin traverse leading back to the left. Traverse eight feet to the left on small grips, climb up 4 feet, and then descend diagonally to the left behind packed blocks to a narrow ledge. As an alternative, it is also possible to climb directly on to the ledge from the ramp by mean of a small fault to the left.

7. 40 feet 'C': Scramble diagonally to the left up a series of short steps to another similar ledge. An old abseil piton of ours serves as an excellent belay for the next pitch.

8. 25 feet 'E sup.': Near the left-hand extremity of the ledge, an awkward crack gives access to a one-man stance directly below the overhang.

9. 6o feet 'F sup.': The overhangs stretch out a long way on either side of the stance, but by traversing 30 feet to the left it is possible to outflank them. It is advisable to place a running-belay after the initial 8-foot hand traverse as no other resting place is available until the end of the traverse has been reached. Once reached, however, good handholds make the pull-up on to the face above quite easy. By working diagonally to the right again one emerges on a comfortable platform from which direct contact can be made with climbers on the previous stance.

10. 35 feet 'F inf.': Move up to the smooth face on the right of the stance, over sonic loose blocks, to a high handrail that enables one to traverse left for about 12 feet before descending diagonally left to a narrow ledge beneath another large overhang.

11. 6o feet 'F': Traverse to the left around the corner, move up six feet, and then continue diagonally to the left up the short, vertical face above. A final delicate move past a loose block lands one on a small stance in a shallow recess.

12. 6o feet 'E sup.': Climb the white face on the left of the recess for 15 feet. Now traverse to the right back into the recess and step across and around the corner on small grips to an easy face which leads to a ledge broad enough to accommodate the entire party. This is the continuation of the 'lunch ledge'.

13. 35 feet 'E sup.': Step off the flake on the left of the ledge and climb diagonally left for six feet before working back to a one-man stance 10 feet beneath the overhangs and slightly to the right of the start of the pitch.

14. 70 feet 'E': This is the first pitch along the Traverse of the Eagles. Continue traversing to the right for approximately 45 feet to a large detached flake on a level with the foot rail. Using this flake, step on to the face and mantelshelf up to the continuation of the traverse six feet above the flake to the right.

15. 50 feet 'E inf.': Traverse further to the right over slabs. Near the end of the pitch climb up six feet to an uncomfortable sloping stance.

16. 70 feet 'F': This is the last pitch on the Traverse of the Eagles. Another 35 to 40 feet of traversing on the same level brings one to the base of a short, overhanging recess. Climb the recess and around the small nose. Descend diagonally right to a narrow ledge with a loose block on one side.

17. 50 feet 'F and A2': Ten feet to the right of the stance move up six feet to a sloping ledge (artificial, i piton). A delicate traverse to the right lands one at the base of a smooth recess capped by a series of small overhangs. By climbing straight up the recess to the second overhang, one can escape to the right on to a narrow catwalk sloping diagonally up to the right (artificial, 6 pitons). Move around the corner to the right and climb up a few feet to a narrow, two-foot wide ledge.

18. 70 feet 'F and A2': The Yellow Recess. Traverse to the right into the base of a 45-ft recessed corner closed in at the top by a large overhang. Ten feet of free climbing leads to the first bulge, which is climbed mechanically (artificial, 3 pitons) before moving up another 10 feet to a straddle position beneath the second bulge. Now continue up to the roof and then traverse out to the left under the overhang for 15 feet (artificial, 12 pitons). Exit on to a narrow ledge on the same level as the overhang. Six feet to the left it broadens to form a more comfortable stance.

19. 35 feet 'D': Climb eight feet up the side of the triangular flake overlooking the stance and descend the other side. Traverse 20 feet further to the left.

20. 60 feet 'E sup.': Move 20 feet diagonally to the left up a lichen-covered face to a short, grass traverse beneath a projecting nose. A series of strenuous layback movements up the vertical crack in a bulging face complete the pitch.

21. 45 feet 'D': The shallow, bushy gully on the left is climbed to a stance at the foot of a narrow chimney behind a huge block.

22. 15 feet 'D': Climb through the chimney to the top of the block and scramble to the summit where a beacon will be found.

The route lies to the right of the amphitheatre on the Central Turret. It follows a prominent rib that merges into the face halfway up and thereafter it ascends the face above. The first pitch commences on the left of the rib. Scramble up 6o feet to the bottom of two recesses.

1. 80 feet 'F inf.': Ascend the left-hand recess and pass through the bush to a broad ledge.

2. 85 feet 'F': A short distance to the left ascend a large block. Traverse to the left along the top of the block and climb up to a stance (piton).

3. 60 feet 'F: Ascend the recess by continuing past a possible line of traverse to the right until a good handrail is reached. Traverse to the right and continue up to a corner and large block.

4. and pitch 5 - 240 feet 'E': Walk round to the Crest of the rib and climbs straight up to a broad ledge below some overhangs.

5. Same as pitch 4.

6. 100 feet 'E inf.': Climbs to a stance visible on the right-hand skyline sonic 60 feet above the ledge (bush). An attempt was made to climb directly above the stance, but was abandoned owing to a dangerously loose block. Presumably this was the route followed by Mamacos and Schaff.

7. 60 feet 'A2': Two recesses will be noticed above. Climb up a few feet and traverse to the base of the left-hand one. Ascend the recess (s pitons) and overcome the bulge (2 pitons left in place) to reach an étrier stance next to another loose block.

8. 120 feet 'F sup.': This pitch is extremely exposed. Traverse to the right for 25 feet into the recess. Climb up the recess to the handrail and then traverse to the right, past the abseil cord, to a small stance. The strata and grips are all sloping the wrong way.

9. 40 feet 'F sup.': A thin, overhanging slit is visible on the skyline above and to the right. Climb up through this slit to a hidden stance.

10. 120 feet of scrambling upwards to the right takes one to a broad ledge. Walk left for about 300 feet to an obvious break.

11. 50 feet 'E': Climb up the recess and exit to the right to a stance below a bush.

12. 120 feet 'F: Continue past the bush and then move left into a gully on rounded grips.

Time for ascent: 8 hours.