Avon Route Guide

Main Wall

The largest face in Avon. Sadly neglected in recent years, though the base of the crag is currently undergoing cleaning, and its popularity looks set to rise.

The Last Gasp * E2 5c	A top quality route, taking in some very tricky and technical ground. Start on the high ledge and cruise up the lower black-streaked groove taking in some fantastic technical moves until you reach a big, sandy and very slopey break. Move tenuously leftward, Clip the peg and move along to a thin crack. Gaining the necessary height to reach the next is pretty tricky requiring a long stretch and dead steady undercutting. The next move is no easier and again involves a long reach in an off-balance position. By now you will be very pumped which makes the last two moves fairly desperate. Belay off the tree above (is it dead?) and ab off. OW (on-sight)
The Choker * E1 5a,5a	A reasonable route at the far left hand side of Main wall. Never brilliantly protected but not unduly serious either . The first pitch bridges up the obvious groove. Here, care must be taken not to fall off and impale yourself on a spike. The second pitch is better and easier and takes an obvious traverse line back right with a bit more gear. Worth doing. CS (alternate leads)
Zombogies Direct * E1 5b	Bugger all gear and completely nails climbing. Or was I just having a bad day? CS (2nd)
The Lich * HVS 5a	Why are one star routes always the best? This is a superb pitch, with sustained and interesting 5a moves. Basically follow the line of weakness to the right of the starting ledge, try out some laybacking, crimping, bridging and basically anything else you can think of. Definitely one of the best technical HVS's in the gorge. Oh yeah, and there's bags of gear. OW (on-sight)
Bonbogies * HVS 5a	Very polished, but still a worthwhile climb! Just right of the obvious groove and easier by far than anything nearby. Negotiate some small overlaps before skirting around to the left of the large triple pointed overhang – no problems so far. Move up to the tree on the left and sling it before making sketchy moves rightwards on polished holds. Keep traversing right and then climb up to better holds – although no good gear for a while! After this, just keep moving up the easy slab and rib to reach the top. As always, the top couple of metres is pure choss but there’s a prominent tree for the belay. Then precariously struggle through the bushes to escape. A short and easy HVS – nice climb! SSJ (on-sight)
The Bogyman * E2 5c	Excellent climb although not hard for E2. Start as for Bonbogies below the really obvious triple-pointed overhang on the left of Main Wall. Head directly up the obvious groove towards the overhang. This section is probably E1 5b ish with some cool moves and reasonable protection, steep though. Then you're poised underneath the overlap with a good right handhold in a crack. A large nut in the crack and a single peg under the roof (the other two have fallen out) protects the next hard moves. Stretch up left onto a marginal left handhold, smear with feet and then leave your nice friendly positive right handhold. Now reach through onto better holds over the roof and when you're high enough step onto the lip and rock over: feels very exposed and scary! From here it's all VS. Climb up on blocky holds and ab off the bushy tree at the top. SSJ (on-sight)
Central Wall E4 6a**	An awesome route although like most of main wall has a slightly indefinite line. From the Malbogies starting ledge balance up the rib to your right to some pegs. Head left under a small roof to a rest below a slightly bigger roof. Clip all the insitu gear then set off up the overhanging wall above. It's really steep and saves the powerful crux til pretty late. Fortunately it's right next to some bolts so you're fairly safe. After the crux traverse left on failing arms to make the final slap for the finishing jug. Belay on worryingly old bolts then ab off. It's basically a clip-up all the way but take a few wires etc. just in case. OW (2nd with rests)
Malbogies HVS 5a,4c**	This is a superb route, with sustained interest, following a relatively easy line through steep territory. There are a quite a few dodgy pegs, but there are sufficient good wire and friend placements, though they are often well spaced. Most of the route has acceptably low polish, apart from the first half of the first pitch. Care should be taken with rope-work, and communication is difficult on the second pitch. The details are irrelevant; it's a great route and the move through the roof is remarkable. JB (alternate leads)
The Preter E2 5a,5b,5b**	Fantastic route, but quite committing with a scarily unprotected second pitch! The first pitch is straightforward enough, although unfortunately the choss and vegetation makes it quite a struggle. Not much gear for the first 30 feet. Join Malbogies just below a bomber belay of about five solid pegs! This is where the fun starts! The leader downclimbs Malbogies for about 15 feet and then steps tentitively left and to start the traverse. Controlled and precise moves are required to stay on particularly poor hand and foot holds. There’s a sling and a micronut to protect the traverse but these are both rubbish and one fell out on us! The crux is stepping down left at the end of the traverse to finally reach a vertical groove which is then followed less stressfully to the large overhang. Two or three cams here secures a solid belay directly below the groove of the next pitch. For the second, thread one rope through the top peg of the belay to backrope the second pitch - this protects the downclimb and some of the traverse, but it’s still scary work! The final pitch runs up the groove directly above the belay. The first few moves are pretty delicate but the rest is straightforward with reasonable gear. SSJ (alternate leads)
Depravity E1 5b, 4b, 5a	Good route. Not too hard for the grade. The first (5b) pitch is pretty straightforward apart from the appalling protection. The three rusty pegs are all as dodgy as you like and probably wouldn't even take the weight of the rope, let alone a lead fall. There's a bomber nut higher up, but then you've done all the hard moves by then so what's the point!? Then after the traverse left you face a tricky move up the steep wall to get back right to the belay. Either climb this completely unprotected, or put in a runner to ensure that you'll have so much rope drag you won't actually be able to get to the belay stance. (Plus your belayer has absolutely no idea what you're up to at this stage.) Don't forget to put in some gear to protect the second (I did), thus ensuring even more rope drag!! The second and third pitches are both straightforward, although there's some surprisingly pumpy moves right at the top - stay cool! Oh and watch out for the copious amount of guano distributed over the upper sections! SSJ (on-sight)
	Combined, the following two routes provide a stunning line up the central steep section of Main Wall.
Krapp's Last Tape E3 5b**	Delicate 5b climbing above small wires and a couple of pegs requires a cool head, and some good route finding skills to pick the easiest way up. Traversing left on a loose block to the belay is scary to say the least, but it is solid enough. TL
Think Pink * E3 6a, 5c**	Think Pink gives strenuous climbing with the solid protection of some bolts and pegs. There are two cruxes on the 6a pitch: the first is pulling into the groove above the slight overhang, the second above the last peg before easier ground above. The top crack pitch is pumpy so make sure you have saved something for a few sharp pulls, also well protected. A stunning way up the crag, worth 3 stars!! TL