Avon Route Guide

My favourite route in Avon! A splendid climb with excellent positions. A reasonable start leads to the peg under the roof and a hard step left to arrive on the wall proper. Paddle up the wall, trying not to think about the gear, to arrive at the bottom of a clean groove. Clip the well bent peg and float up the groove to swing wildly out on to the righthand arete to, hopefully, arrive at a small stance. The second pitch crosses the wall to the right, gaining the obvious crack up which you blast to a rest where a fingery move right can be made to finish. There seems to be much debate about the grade of this climb. Many people reckon it to be about E2. I personally think it would scare the crap out of most E2 leaders and E3 is much more reasonable. However, it is an absolute must! 
CS (2nd)

Review: A very enjoyable route. Much more straightforward than the guidebook description implied and considering the grade its not badly protected either - probably only E2 really. 
BM, AN (alternate leads onsight)

This is a fantastic route, taking a direct line up one of Avon's biggest walls. Although never technically desperate, it is very sustained and goes through some pretty loose rock. The first pitch goes up the right wall of the huge corner below the upper wall ramp. A bolt protects the first difficult move, a hideous 
mantle on to a slopey ledge. Wires and friends protect the last (really bloody hard) moves on to the belay, definitely meriting 5c if you ask me.The second pitch has its technical crux at the start, but the hard bit is really picking your way through the cheese after traversing the pockets. There is fairly regular gear, but do you trust it not to rip and take several tons of rock with it? Having made it through, take a hanging belay (and tranquilisers?) in a niche just above the huge break. I had four pieces in, which is probably a minimum. The rock improves on the final pitch, the gear is a bit spaced, but bomber. Just enjoy the exprosure as you balance along the final ramp to the top. All in all an awesome route, just watch the rock quality. 
OW (on-sight)

This is a superb route! The first pitch is the most difficult technically and requires some boldness in places, though this is generally rewarded quickly by a good hold or runner. The second pitch is not as loose and scary as I was lead to believe. I thought the rock seemed generally sound (probably due to much traffic). The hardest bit here is moving off the belay. The belay at the end of the second pitch should be taken just above the obvious break where there are a few old peg runners and some other placements. The final pitch goes up from here to a good thread and then traverses boldly rightwards for about 15 ft under a pancake-like feature heading for an obvious protruding peg. From here make tricky moves up onto a ramp that allows you to teeter back rightwards to the top. A must do if you climb at this grade. 
BM (onsight)

Ridiculously this route doesn't get any stars in the guide, perhaps due to it being an offshoot of M1. It deserves at least one, probably two. The route starts up M1, to the horizontal break. Some really solid friends here are a good plan, as there is sod all gear above you. Head left and via some quite powerful and thoughtful moves get established on the wall above. At this point the rock starts to get just a bit cheesy, and some holds require serious consideration. There is also very little decent gear, a couple of wires and a stacked wire/friend combination being all I can remember. Keep heading up the wall past a couple of overlaps then right up a groove and finally (and with great relief in my case) you reach a thread belay. The next pitch is just 30ft up the wall behind you. Move right from the belay climb past the "solitary wire placement" mentioned in the guide, fortunately there are also several other wire placements and a bomber friend! Again the rock is a bit chossy, a case of disco leg resulting in a light shower of sand as the footholds ground away! All in all a superb route, a real experience, and an awesome first pitch. 
OW (on-sight)

Fantastic route, best enjoyed on a lovely sunny day. Arrive at Unknown Area and follow the most flattened grass to the base of the rock! Start up a groove, with not much good gear, exit the groove rightwards and climb directly to the break. Fill the break with bomber friend placements and traverse right along it until directly below the bolt, clip the thread and place a small wire. Launch up on good pockets (crux), clipping the bolt on the way past, to the crack and a sinking rock 9. Finish easily to the top and the abseil off the fence. Unless you want to get horrendous rope drag (like me ) make sure you extend the runners around the bolt! Definitely the E1 route to do - mid-grade, good gear and solid rock! 
RT (on-sight)

Climb easily up the first corner with some good gear up to the break. Now, ignoring what anyone has ever told you about filling it with bomber gear, place a marginal cam and do the hand traverse over to the obvious ledge where there is a good rest. Reach up to that perfect size 1 nut crack (I would happily belay off only this as it is so good) and pay no attention to warning bells which tell you that the nut you placed was crap and a size 2 anyway. However, this is the crux so pull up on still good holds and watch that nut sail down the rope as you try the hardest moves. Feeling particularly pumped, get to the jugs above and thank god that you are not in an ambulance, place bomber gear in the crack and finally ease up to the top with much easier moves and belay of the fence. This is actually a well protected E1 if you place the gear properly but just watch out. 
HT (on-sight)

This route and the Earl Of Perth are I think the best routes at this grade in the Gorge. Plenty of interesting climbing but well protected where it matters, particularly at the crux - by an (unnecessary) bolt! 
BM (onsight)

Ladder of Desire is a superb route taking the slabby wall to the right of M1. The route is quite complex connecting the lines of weakness on this relatively blank face. A lot of the difficulty for the leader is in working out the line and the moves required to pass the various crux sections. The route starts about 20' right of M1 at an obviously cleared area at the base of the cliff. A bouldery start (at the right edge of the wall but trending left) takes you uncomfortably high before you reach a good ledge and are able to place gear in the obvious groove above. The groove is followed fairly easily to a peg at its top and another ledgy horizontal break. Here you have to traverse horizontally rightwards for about 3m before it is possible to make a very bold step up (off a good layaway hold for the right hand).The peg is several meters to your left and below your feet on this move so there is big fall potential and a confident (or not at all!) approach is required. Fortunately the step-up brings good holds enabling you to move up easily to another horizontal break and runners. Tiptoe back leftwards in this break until it is possible to move up parallel with the crux of M1 (you are aiming for an obvious concrete block). From the block move up to the horizontal break and move right to a short flake-crack below a blank looking wall. Place good runners here, then move slightly right again to make a layaway move off a good right hand hold to a sloper above. Now step up and reach for the very positive pocket above. From here you can clip an (unnecessary) bolt and climb relatively easily to the top. Overall a great outing for the leader, really making you think (if you don't read my beta!). Solid E3 and Excellent. 
BM (onsight)