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› Approach

From Monmouth take the A40 towards Ross on Wye.  After approximately 5 miles turn left and follow signs for Symmonds Yat East  and Goodrich on the B4229.  Turn right after one mile towards Symmonds Yat East.  Cross the river (you should see the boulders on the horizon directly in front of you) and keep going until you see a sign for a coach turning circle on the left, just before a right turn down to Symmonds Yat East.  Turn round and park on the left just below the turning circle.  There’s just room for two cars past the double yellows.

› Getting to the start of the circuit

The boulders are described a circuit starting with the massive Bread Pudding boulder.  To get to the boulders walk up the forestry road leading upwards from the tuning circle for 300 yards.  You should be able to see the Bread Pudding  and Rift boulders up the hillside on your right now.  Follow a small track through the undergrowth to get to the beginning of the circuit. 

› Introduction

Huntsham crag forms part of a wider escarpment of conglomerate sandstone found across the Wye valley.  The rock is a mixture of clean sandstone with some pebbles, reminiscent of the Churnet valley near Stoke.  The  boulders found scattered below the crag comprise of rock that is generally of a much higher quality than that found on the crag itself. 

There really is a lot to go at for boulderers of all standards,  with a wide range of grades from 4 to 7c+.

There are steep overhangs, big dynos, featured walls and pumpy traverses.   There are some beautiful slopers for the connoisseur, and a speciality on many problems are the rounded top outs. 

Some of the more obvious problems are already developed and documented in ‘The Sandstone Outcrops of the Forest of Dean’ by Martin Crocker.  Also a number of ‘locals’ have been using the crag for years particularly the Gloucester ‘gang’,  Richard Ames being responsible for most of the harder offerings at the boulders.  Therefore any projects mentioned in this guide have most likely been done already. 

Apologies if I’ve omitted your problem, changed the grade or called it something else.  Let me know and I’ll change it back.

Huntsham boulders undoubtedly provide some of the best bouldering in the region! 

› Map

For a bigger and more detailed map, click HERE.

For a printer friendly version of this page, click HERE. To download the original pdf click HERE.

› Bread Pudding  and Rift Boulders

These are the most obvious pair of boulders.  Approximately 300 yards up the forestry track from the turning circle  and half way up the hillside.  Look for the in situ ladder under Rift boulder. 

› Bread Pudding Boulder

This is the long high boulder above Rift boulder with the unmistakable ‘doss’ at the right end for those who want to spend the night.

The problems start from the far left sidewall looking uphill and  are listed anticlockwise.

1 Little Busy Lisi - 6a (E1 5B)
Rightwards up the left hand arête of the side wall to finish with a rockover.
2 In Lard  - 6a+ (E2 6B)
From the short crack in the sidewall reach pockets and finish with a stretch to a good finger lock.
3 Samuel Red-breast (S/S) - 6b+
Use small pockets either side of arête to start.   Slappy moves get you to the break.  Jump off or go to the top for the E2 tick.
4 Little Busy Lisi - 5+
Mantle onto the sloping shelf exfoliating pebbles as you go.  Hardness depends exactly where you pull on.
5 Bread Pudding - 5+
Mantle into an undercut, stretch for a good hold on the lip and pull over. Classic at this grade.
6 Bread pudding dyno - Project
Dyno from the starting holds on Bread Pudding to the good finishing hold. Bring a parachute!
7 Harpers Bazzar - 6a+
Similar problem just right. Start in the left side of the scoop. Move up to slopey jugs and pull over using edges.
8 Puddign Basin - 6c
From the right side of the scoop, move right via a good pocket to a small slopey ledge. Grind over the very slopey top. Scary.
9 No Name - 6a+
Wall right again starting from the protruding ledge then a stretch past a high pocket to top.
10 PROJECT
Problem 9 direct, without the ledge on the left. Awkward.
11 Lick the bowl - 6c
Highball. From a sitter, climb the bulging wall direct using pinches, layaways and cunning footwork. Finish with a tricky move to get the slanting finger jug next to the bolt at 15 feet. Avoid holds in the left groove, and any holds to the right of and including the flat jug on the right. 6C+ from standing. An easier finish uses the high pinch on Soloist.
12 Cream (S/S) - 6c+
Start with feet on the plinth to the left of Lick the bowl. Traverse slopers and pebbles rightwards into the porthole of Lick the Bowl. Finish up that.
13 The Porthole - 7a
Start as for Cream. Once at the porthole tussle powerfully with it and the break to span to the arête of Bowl rim. Make a tricky finish up that. Really good moves!
14 Gnarly Traverse - 7c
Desperately traverse the low break starting as for Cream. Avoid the porthole and stay low until you reach the nose. Finish more easily round the other side and up the crack. Monster.
15 Bowl Rim - 6a
The classic looking overhanging arête above the centre of ‘the doss’.
16 Bowl rim extension - 6c+
Eliminate but great moves. Start above the doss in the low break. Right hand dish/pocket left had on sloper just left, right foot toe/heel jam in break on nose. Move left powerfully then throw for base of arête. Finish up Bowl Rim. No handholds on sloping shelf!
16 a Extension - Project
Start Bowl Rim extension from the nose and drop in to the low break.
17 Bowl rim extension high - 6b
Start on the nose then use slopey lip and pebbles to finish up Bowl Rim.
18 Doss roof - Project
There’s chalk leading from the back of the roof into some poor glued on undercuts. Looks heinous. Has it been done?
19 Doss roof right - 6a
Nice problem from the shelf at the back of the doss moving right to good holds on the lip and over onto the slab.

› RIFT BOULDER

The massive boulder with the obvious split down the middle. The problems start from the right wall of the rift on the uphill side, directly opposite Bread Pudding boulder and are listed anti-clockwise.

1 Crack right (S/S) - 4
The right side of the obvious wide rift. Surprisingly good.
2 Slab start - 6a
The left side of the slab to a step left at the top.
3 Rift slab - 5+
A direct line up the slab left of a head-height crack.
4 Crack start - 5
The head-height crack in the slab then good holds.
5 Slanting Slab - 4+
A leftwards line from a sloping ledge below an overhang.
6 Split personality - E2 6a
From the right end of the sloping ledge pull onto a steep wall and mantle a sloping top. A bit death defying to be a boulder problem.
7 Rib Tickler (S/S) 6b
Start on black crimps right of the deep crack with feet in back. Up to the break and get to good hold on sloping nose. Either use high continuation of crack on right to mantle out or grind your way over direct (much harder)
8 Rift Crack (S/S) - 6b
Use an assortment of holds in and around the crack to get yourself to the top. 5+ from standing.
9 Atrium bulge - 6c
The bulge right of the crack using slopers, pockets and a finger jug to an elephants arse finish. Quality!
10 Atriuim - Project
For long armed power mutants there is a sit start from left side of he obvious low break. A beefy slap to slopers then into the stand up
11 Aims for the stars S/S - 7b?
The bulge has been climbed from a sitter in the middle of the break to slanting edges then up. Slightly eliminate as you can reach holds on Rift arête and Atrium bulge. Looks hard though!
12 Rift Arete - 6b
Start with hands in low break and feet in back. Pull on and slap up the rounded arête to lovely slopers. Lunge up to good holds and pull over. 6a from standing.
13 Pebbles Revenge - 6b
The trickier than it looks wall right of Rift arête, starting with feet in the back and hands in break. Use pockets to climb the wall. Slightly easier using the sloper on the arête for right hand.
14 Rift Wall traverse - 7a
Start as for Rift arête Traverse. Follow the break all the way into Pebbles Revenge and finish up this. Easier using the sloper out right.
15 Mid Rift - 4
Rather grim. Climb the steep rift. Good luck!
16 Rift Right - 7c+ ?
From some black protruding pebbles reach left to the obvious long hold and do something with it to get to the rounded top. Looks totally desperate but the footholds don’t look too permanent.
17 ?? -??
From the left end of the low break climb the arête direct avoiding holds on Rift valley.
18 Rift Valley low start - 6b+
Start on the right end of the low break on the right arête. Pull up right to a small dish and up arête. Rock over rightwards to finish. Harder than it looks with a slopey landing. Don’t pull too hard on the pebble!
19 The bulge (S/S ) - 4+
Start on the obvious flake hold left of the rift at the start of the boulder circuit. Pull up to good holds and pull over. Starting foot pebbles come and go!

› CHIPPY BOULDER

Directly up from Bread Pudding Boulder on the mid slope track

1 Chips are bad ??
Some very bored person has chipped some obvious holds into the overhanging face! The problem appears to be a dyno.
2 Slopey traverse ??
Traverse of the right slopey lip. Looks s bit dirty and pumpy.

From here you can either head left then upwards to the sliced slug boulder and crag, or rightwards along the track to the cube boulder.


› CUBE BOULDER

rom the Chippy boulder head rightwards (down slope) on the forestry track for 100 yards. This excellent square boulder is up and leftwards about 20 yards from the track.

1 Little Busy Lisi - 6a (E1 5B)
Rightwards up the left hand arête of the side wall to finish with a rockover.
2 In Lard - 6a+ (E2 6B)
From the short crack in the sidewall reach pockets and finish with a stretch to a good finger lock.
3 Samuel Red-breast (S/S) - 6b+
Use small pockets either side of arête to start. Slappy moves get you to the break. Jump off or go to the top for the E2 tick.
4 Little Busy Lisi - 5+
Mantle onto the sloping shelf exfoliating pebbles as you go. Hardness depends exactly where you pull on.
5 Bread Pudding - 5+
Mantle into an undercut, stretch for a good hold on the lip and pull over. Classic at this grade.
6 Bread pudding dyno - Project
Dyno from the starting holds on Bread Pudding to the good finishing hold. Bring a parachute!
7 Harpers Bazzar - 6a+
Similar problem just right. Start in the left side of the scoop. Move up to slopey jugs and pull over using edges.
8 Puddign Basin - 6c
From the right side of the scoop, move right via a good pocket to a small slopey ledge. Grind over the very slopey top. Scary.
9 No Name - 6a+
Wall right again starting from the protruding ledge then a stretch past a high pocket to top.
1 Fun - 5
Climb the middle of the left wall with a nice mantle to finish
2 Rocket - 6c+
Dyno from the obvious flaky mini jug to the top. More awkward than it looks.
3 Fun - 5+
Climb the left arête of the block and traverse the lip all the way to the left then rock over.
4 Arete - PROJECT
Climb the left arête directly from a sit start, or even better link into the eye problems by traversing across the wall.
5 Left Eye socket - 7a+
From the two head high shallow pockets on the front face, go direct to the top utilising a slight ripple and slopers. Hard.
6 Right eye socket - 7a
From the same start make a tricky move right to a slopey edge then slap to the top and mantle. Brilliant!
6a One more go? - 6c
An easy version of the last problem. Left in pocket and right on edge if you can reach. Slap for the top and mantle. Addictive campus move!
6a One more go? - 6c
An easy version of the last problem. Left in pocket and right on edge if you can reach. Slap for the top and mantle. Addictive campus move!
7 Crouching start - PROJECT
A crouching start to the eye problems looks possible from some small undercuts.
8 The Edge - 7a
Hang the edge and to throw for the top. As simple as that. Short arses build a cairn to start.
9 Right Arete - 5
The obvious right arête and mantle.
10 Cube Traverse - PROJECT
Traverse the lip of the block from the right arête to the far left of the boulder. A hard and slopey looking section around the left arête. Cold conditions will help.

› HALF MOON BOULDER

About 50 yards further on. A large boulder but with only one problem of note that follows the slopey curving feature on the front face.

1 The rise and fall of the Splasher - 7a+
Traverse the obvious lip from left to right starting on the jug and finishing on the foot plinth. Hard if not in condition

› SATELLITE BOULDER

Not much further down the track and on the left. Beautifully sculptured boulder with some good low grade traverses and big dyno’s.

1 The Jugs (S/S) - 4+
The left-hand arete to battlements.
2 The Scoop (S/S) - 6a
A great sit start and long move to the break then pull over.
3 Satellite wall - 5
From a sit start in the big pocket on the right climb to the top.
4 Traverse - 5+
Traverse the top from right to left with a tricky slopey middle section. Pumpy.
a Traverse - 5
From a sit down in the big pocket on the right traverse the excellent middle break. Finish up 1.
b Traverse - 6a
From the sit down start in the big pocket on the right traverse the wall below the break. Finish up The Jugs.
5 Rumpy pumpy - 6b
Start up 3, traverse 4, drop down and reverse a) then along b) and finish up problem 1. A real pumper and good for getting fit on.

If dyno’s are your thing look no further. They all start from the obvious seam on the mid/ right of the wall. Use the crimps immediately either side of the round white quartz pebble.

A) Right hand man - 6c+
Right handed to good hold over the top.
B) Double top - 7a
Double dyno direct.
C) Oh Yeah! - 7a+
Humungous zebedee up and left, aiming for the area around the apex. The pedantic will want to land the pocket in the apex..

› DARKSIDE BOULDER

Excellent slabby boulder on the right side of the mid height track 50 yards on from the Satellite boulder. The bouldering is on the hidden down slope face.

1 Left Arete S/S - 6a+
Great rock with an excellent slappy move near the top. Don’t use the pebbly bits round to the left for a better and harder problem. The sit start adds an awkward but very satisfying dead point move.
2 The edges S/S - 6c
Finger edges right of the arête. 6c using the S/S of Left arête.
3 Give me light S/S - 6c
The centre of the face via the obvious finger edge and long move. For a much harder and better problem use the s/s of Left arête.
4 Porthole Arete - 4
The right arête via the porthole.
5 Darkside traverse S/S - 6b
Traverse the boulder on edges from left to right and finish up the right arête. Technical and very good! Harder using the s/s of Left arête.

› THE GRAVESTONE

A minor boulder with an interesting traverse

1 Lefte arete - 4+
A minor sit start up the left arête.
2 Gravestone traverse S/S - 6c
Good moves but the edges are a bit soft and sandy. Traverse the edges below the top from left to right from the obvious sit start.
3 Pop to the top - 5
rom two little edges direct to the top.

› SLICED SLUG BOULDER

From the Chippy boulder head leftwards along the track for 50 yards then upwards towards the big split boulder below the main crag.

You will encounter a high, clean overhanging face of quality sandstone, allegedly resembling a sliced slug. The rock quality and problems are excellent. There is also room for any number of links and eliminates here. Stays dry in showers.

› THE CRAG LEFT - Bivi buttress

On the main crag about 50 yards left of sliced slug is this overhanging pebbly roof below a large pebbly slab.

This is not an established part of the circuit so grades are estimated. The rock is rather pebbly and crumbly in places.

› THE CRAG RIGHT

About 50 yards right of Sliced slug are a number of big horizontal pebbly roofs.

1 Who's roof? - 7a
An amazing looking problem out from the back of a 45 degree roof. Follow edges, pockets and one big quartz pebble via long reaches to get to the break on the lip. Bring a spotter!