Brin Rock Boulders

From a guide originally by Iain Macdonald.

Brin Rock Boulders have a good selection of mixed problems in a sheltered forest. The rock is Gneiss and the boulders offer all styles and grades of problems. Details of the traditional climbs on Brin Rock can be found in the SMC Highland Outcrops Guide. New problems can be recorded on the ScottishClimbs.com new routes database, so they can find their way into the next revision of this guide.

Getting there

OS Map 26 (Grid Ref. 663293) The boulders lie on the south east side of Brin Rock opposite the B851 Daviot to Fort Augustus road. The boulders are obvious from the road and can be reached by taking the minor road down towards Brin House and parking on the left just after crossing the river. Cut across the field heading towards the large crag on the hillside. The fence that runs below the crag has several gates, the bouldering area described starts just opposite the third gate.

PROJECTS

Many problems still lie below the lichen covered rock and a twenty-minute brushing is all that is required to unveil a new problem to the world. Please don't destroy vegetation on rubbish problems, it just grows back.

The problems

Main Jumble

The boulders here are directly uphill from the gate.

1. The Block img
1. Blockhead V1
Climb the wall and slab at the right hand side of the boulder.
2. Lip Trip V4
Traverse the lip leftwards all the way around.
3. Berlingo Boys V6
Below the step in the overlap utilise a small undercut for the left hand and a crimp for the right to reach for a hold on the lip, rock over to finish.
4. Hit Me V4
Climb just right of the arete to the lip and finish up and over rightwards.
5. New Boots and Panties V5
Climb just left of the arete finishing leftwards.
6. I Wanna Be Straight V0
Climb just left of the overlap.
7. Clever Bastard V5
From the starting holds on 'I Wanna' traverse rightwards around the arete and finish up 'Hit Me'.

2. The Campus
1.Preppy V2
S/S. Starting far left climb rightwards around the boulder to finish up the jugs on the right hand side.

3. Beat Wall img
1. Up Beat V7
Traverse the wall from left to right on all available holds.
2. Down Beat V8
Traverse the wall from left to right S/S at the left diagonal crack. Make a low traverse from left to right avoiding the jugs on the lip.
3. Beat Up V5
S/S. Starting at the central crack climb up to the large side pull above the lip and finish out rightwards.
4. Beatroute V5
S/S. Start as per Beat Up, climb up and out leftwards.

4. Happy Boulder http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2138/2046598391_128dbacc0c_b.jpg img]
Easily identified as large and free standing. Easiest decent is by down climbing the tree on the rear side of boulder.
1. The Dreaded Dreadlock V4
S/S. On the front face of the boulder. Start at the left hand side and follow the flakes rightwards pulling over the top in the centre.
2. Spirited V5
S/S. Climb the right arete on the front face of the boulder.
3. Spirit Level V6
S/S on the good sidepulls of spirited and go right to another side pull and up to incut jugs. Climb the narrow wall above. Eliminate - no use of the right wall
4. Rhuaridh's Crack V1
Climb the obvious crack right of Spirited
5. Carpet Slab V0
Climb the slab 2m right of the crack.
6. Monkey Boy V1
Climb the centre of the face on the rear side of the boulder.

5. The Prow Jutting roof just behind Happy Boulderimg vid
Directly behind the happy boulder
1. Brin Done Before V6
Climb the left hand side of the prow with a highball top out.
2. Cantthinkofaname V1
The right hand side, pulling over onto the slab
3. When Mike Met Ben V6
Climb Cantthinkofaname until possible to span out to brin done before, finish direct.

6. Big black roof
Still has Project/projects.

1. Big Black Roof Arete V3
Crouch start at the lip, throw a right heel up and climb the left hand arete of the boulder.
2. Big Black Roof lefthand V3
Again crouch start at the lip about 1 metre from the left arete. This time throw a left heel up and move into rightwards over the void into good holds and then back left to top out.
Big Black Roof lefthand

7. Dusty boulder img
1. Mushroom Cloud V4
SS on two crimps on right hand side of boulder.
2. Gold dust V7
SS on far left hand side of boulder climb up on sharp crimps.

8. What Boulder img
1. Skrewdriver V6
S/S. From the flat boulder climb out and up rightwards via a nasty press.

9. The Pit
1. Ingrid Pitt V2
From a standing start climb out of the pit
2. Pitt Bull V8
Climb out of the pit from a sitting start.

10. Tree Slab
1. Centre V1
Climb the centre of the slab.
2. Right V0
Climb the right-hand side of the slab heading towards and finishing by the crack.

11. Arete Boulder
1. Snowy Arete V0
Climb the short arete.

12. Time Bloc
Faces uphill
1. Business Time V4
S/S. Climb the left arete from a rail on the bottom left of the boulder
2. Part Time Model V5
S/S. Climb the middle of the face starting on tiny crimps.

Bog Jumble

These boulders make up the front of brin, being at the foot of the hill, just below the trees.

13. Fallen Tree Bloc
1.Forest Mechanics V3
The arete on the rear of the boulder is a classic. Bold and intimidating - a must do problem!

14. Steve's Slab
1. Left V1
Climb up left hand side of the slab.
2. Centre V0
Climb up the centre of the slab.
3. Right V1
Climb up the right hand side of the slab.

15. Psikabloc
1. Michael V5
S/S On the right hand side of the boulder, make a couple of hard moves to the top. Traversing leftwards across the boulder is a project.

16. Big Roof Boulder img
1. Susurrus V9
S/S. hard for the grade. Climb the roof to a campus finish leftwards.
Project
Climb the roof to a rightward finish.

17. Little Britain Boulder img
1. Bitty V4
S/S. Climb up the far side of the left hand wall
2. Little Britain V5
S/S. Climb the line 1.5m in from the left hand wall
3. Yeahbutnobutyeah V2
Climb up the right hand wall.

18. Swamp Wall img
1. Lichen Storm V2
Climb up the centre of the right hand wall.
2. Swampy V2
Climb up towards and finish by the thin crack to the left of Lichen Storm.
3. Lichen It V0
Climb the arete.
4. Flakes V2
Climb the line of small flakes 2m left of the arete.
5. The Scoop V2
Climb the line 2m left of previous route.

The Den Area

Home to the classic of the area in Spank the Ramp, this area is 100m along from Swamp wall. The Porcupine is 100m further along from the den.

19. The Den img
1. Spank The Ramp V3
S/S. Climb up to and then follow the ramp rightwards. From the jug at the top of the ramp reach back left and up to finish. Those desperate for a shit eliminate rather than a true line can skip the first jug en-route.
2. Graeme's Route V5
S/S. Gain the sharp bucket, then the obvious pinch for your right hand, rock up and finish directly.
3. Graeme's Pinch V6
S/S. As per Graeme's Route but without using the large bucket in the centre of the wall.
4. Tesco Reject V5
S/S. Climb the wall right of spank the ramp from a slopey rail to sharp crimps. Top out directly.

20. Guillotine
5m uphill from the den.
1. The Guillotine V0
Climb the obvious cleaned slab.
2. The Guillotine Sitter V7
S/S From big undercuts, gain the slab with a slap.
3. Left Wall V1
S/S The left hand face gives an O.K. problem.
4. Clean Rib V0
The cleaned rib just behind the Guillotine Boulder gives a good problem on better quality rock. S/S is V3.

21. Bog Boulder
Opposite and slightly downhill from The Den.
1. Big Bog Traverse V0
Climb the arete right to left ending at the huge flake-crack.
2. Big Bog Flake V0-
Climb the obvious huge flake-crack.

22. Scissor Hands
1. Edward V3
S/S. Traverse the wall from left to right.

23. The Crocodile
1. Crocabot V8
Start on crimps under the roof and go rightwards along the lip of the roof right to the nose... hard.

24. Clapton Boulder
1. Old Love V6
S/S Tackle the blunt arete direct from an obvious sit start hold.

25. The Porcupine img
1. Hedgehog V2
S/S. Start as for porcupine but climb the vertical wall on the left via a rockover to a flake crimp.
2. Porcupine V3
S/S. Start at the left hand side of the boulder. Traverse up and rightwards to pull through at the obvious weakness.
3. Sting in the Tail
S/S A variation on the Porcupine. Takes a line of very sharp sloping holds along the lip of the overhang until a crystal sharp arete is reached that helps you make a powerful move to gain the top of the scorpian crack and pull over direct.
4. Scorpion V5
S/S. Start at the centre of the wall. Follow the crack leftwards to finish just right of Porcupine.

Ladder Jumble

In the middle of the forest is a jumble of large boulders with a small handy ladder in situ.

26. New Shoes Boulder img
This is 100 yards up from the big roof boulder, characterised by a sloping horizontal lip.
1. Put My New Shoes On V9
Traverse the lip left to right.
Project
A desperate sitstart could maybe be done through the middle of the boulder...

27. Top Arete img
1.The Scientist V8
Climb the striking arete from a sit start jug, high and exhilarating finish.
2.Fake Tales of Cresciano V4
Start on the obvious hold at the lip, move up to the slopey shelf and rock out rightwards. Needs a lower start.