Northumbrian Climbing Guide

 
 
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High Countess What the symbols
& colours mean
Grid Ref: NY871801   Aspect: W 
Altitude: 120 mtrs   Walk in: 10 mins 
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From the A68, take the Colt Crag Reservoir to Birtley road. 400m before Birtley, turn right towards Redesmouth and Countess Park. Bear left towards Countess Park and follow the road through the farmyard to a railway bridge. Park here. A right of way follows the river downstrea, and arrives at the foot of the crag after around 250 metres.
 
General:
The crag lies in a wooded area on the east bank of the North Tyne just south of Redesmouth. The disused railway line runs along the top, but the crag is only visible from the bottom. There is much bad rock, on which two long lines were possible - they may well now lie amongst the rubble at the foot of the crag.
Rock:  
Ottercops Sandstones Carboniferous, Dinantian (Lower Limestone Group)
Poor, unstable and overgrown
Routes/Bouldering:  
Routes:
The only two routes recorded are the big corner at the right of the crag (VS) and a line up the front of the face a few metres to the left (VS). As far as is known they are unrepeated and they may well remain that way, if indeed they still exist.
No recorded problems.
History:
Norman Haighton and Maclolm Lowerson did some routes here in the 70's.