Jesmond Dene
Grid Ref: NZ254672 Aspect: S&W
| Jesmond Dene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nearest city | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear |
| Climbing type | Bouldering |
| Rock type | Sandstone |
| Quantity of rock | over 50 problems |
| Development | well developed |
| Cliff aspect | west |
| Classic climbs |
|
Altitude: 35 mtrs Walk in: 10 mins Bouldering quality: *
General
Jesmond Dene is a steep wooded vally less than a mile from the centre of Newcastle. The climbing is almost all bouldering and consists of some fairly easy stuff on small quite pleasant natural boulders and some hard traversing in a gloomy quarry. There is also some all weather crimping on the viaduct walls at the south end of the dene, where Jesmond Road crosses the Ouseburn.
Approach
From Jesmond Road, follow signs into the dene and follow the riverside road keeping to the same side of the burn. Go past the old mill and the quarry is just beyond the park keepers cottage on the right. The boulders are a couple of hundred metres further up the dene near Castlefarm Bridge. From South Gosforth, go down Castlefarm road to the bridge where a path on the south east side drops down past the boulders and leads to the quarry and beyond.
Rock
Coal Measures Sandstone Carboniferous Westphalian
Good solid sandstone, tends to get greasy in the quarry.
Routes/Bouldering
Routes:
The high wall in the quarry, underneath the ivy above the easy traverse, has been soloed by Bob Smith at E something, after chucking out time. The sober grade is equally unknown. Not recommended.
Problems:
The quarry walls have good traversing, the left hand wall being the hardest (up to 6c); the polished end wall is, well, polished and the right hand wall is easier (5a).
History
The dene has been used as a training venue for at least 30 years, and the problems were documented for the Northumberland Bouldering Guide. The majority of the harder problems are the work of locals Bob and Tommy Smith. Tommy holds the record for the full quarry traverse at around a minute and a half.