Minor Crags in Galloway
This page gives brief details of some of the minor crags of Galloway, those that are smaller, less good or less popular. We also have a large index page detailing the more important Galloway Climbing areas. Click on the link to go to this page which has further information and route topos for all of the main climbing venues in Wigtownshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Dumfries-shire.
Details of most of these crags can be found in the definitive guidebook - the SMC published "Lowland Outcrops" guidebook, 2004 edition, available from Needlesports
Star ratings used here are as for the main index. Places I have no personal experience of have not been rated, but they may well deserve stars.
Trouble choosing the perfect crag?? See our Galloway Crag Chooser page for tips about the best venues for serious adventures or mellow barbecues and picnics, and the best venues for an evening trip and worst venues for midgies and loose rock.
| Balcary Seacliffs | no stars | Loose and scary. I wouldn't go there.... |
| Burrow Head | Seacliffs at the foot of the Machars, near Whithorn with a reputation for being loose and intimidating. They are. Check out this picture if you don't believe it...! | |
| Cairnsmore of Carsphairn | * | There are a couple of reasonable winter scrambles on this peak and it's outliers. See our Galloway New Climbs page for details. |
| Cat Craig | ** | An excellent micro-crag near Castle Douglas. But it really is micro. Probably best as a bouldering venue of local interest only. See here for a photo-topo. |
| Clawbelly Hill | ** | An excellent slab for beginners and kids near the road just north of Clifton. The compact granite has no gear but there are treestump belays at the top. Several easy lines at Mod, Diff and V.Diff. See photo |
| Clints of the Spout | *** | A big rambling cliff on the east side of Cairnsmore of Fleet split by a big 160m VS gully - the Spout of the Clints, a.k.a. Lost Pilots Gully, this is quite nice, mostly scrambling but with short sections of 4c. In winter this route and the neighbouring Smear Test give excellent *** routes at grades V and IV respectively. Access begins from the Fleet railway viaduct (as for Loch Grannoch initially). |
| Craigmichael | * | A small crag seen on the north side of the valley as you drive to Forrest Lodge from Dalry. Only about 8m high with relatively poor rock, but a nice setting. There are about 5 short routes at S or VS. See below for a photo |
| Kiln of the Fuffock | *** | A great name for this venue on the coast of the Rhinns south of Portobello with a large number of E3's and E4's. Reputedly very good rock but I'll never be strong enough to hang on to it for long enough to find out...also the improbabl lookign Penguin Parade at Diff.! see below for a photo. |
| Lions Head | * | A small crag above the village of Palnackie near Dalbeattie. Quite nice climbing at VS and HVS, with routes up to 30m long, generally with poor protection. I have never been back since seeing the debris from a massive rockfall one spring. See below for a brief topo |
| Moffat Ice | ** | A number of winter routes have been recorded on the crags above Moffat Dale, mostly at about grade II, but with the very notable exception of the Grey Mares Tail waterfall, which when frozen gives a sustained climb of grade III/IV, relatively serious, partly because it is rarely completely frozen. |
| Money Head | About ten severe's and VS's at this venue. Less highly rated than other cliffs in the area by those who know it. | |
| Monreith | * | A small seacliff accessed from the beach at low tide. I found the climbing here to be quite poor and quite loose though its a very nice beach. Most of the ten or so routes are S or VS. See here below for brief details of one or two routes I have done. |
| Quarries | I have looked into numerous disused quarries all over Galloway for many years and never found anything nice. Some hugely impressive holes in the ground on the moors above Creetown, lots of small venues near Dalbeattie etc, but almost all of them are dangerously loose. | |
| The Tauchers | ** | A large rambling crag on the north side of Mullwharchar, some nice rock and some good pitches here and there, but a long bird ban and generally damp and midgy conditions make this one of the more "difficult" venues. Fortunately the Taucher's are not technically in Galloway at all (but in Ayrshire) so they can't drag the reputation of Galloway climbing down.... The best of the routes are Switchback, VD on the Giants Stairway, the 200m Mod. Couloir first climbed in 1909 and the good corner of Behind the Mask, E1 5b ** on the Organ Pipes. There are another five or so E1-E3 routes plus a few Severe's and VS's |
For details of the major crags in Galloway please go to our Galloway Climbing Index page.
Kiln o the Fuffock
Kiln O the Fuffock, Rhinns of Galloway.
An impressive sea cliff in a nice setting , with good rock for Greywacke, but pretty serious grades.
Cat Craig
This is an excellent but very small crag in the Urr valley, near Kilquhanity School, just 6 miles north of Castle Douglas. It is more or less just a big boulder in a field, but with four different faces and six routes up to 6m long it's OK for locals. It seems to be granite? Probably best as a bouldering venue.
Lions Head
A very overgrown crag near Palnackie, just south of Castle Douglas. It's a lovely spot but the poor quality rock, rampant vegetation and general air of neglect make climbing here less than pleasant the now. Snout Direct is a 50m route up the front of the face, left of this are several HVS 4b's and risky E routes with little or no protection and many loose holds.
Craigmichael
This small crag near Dalry is clearly seen on the north side of the river as you drive up the minor road towards Forest Lodge. It appears to be a reasonably large outcrop quite a short walk form the road.... but the laws of physics are pretty weird around here and it is in fact quite a small crag a long way from the road..! As further discouragement there are rare nesting birds and the rock is not great.
Several short 5-8m routes have been recorded here plus some bouldering, but it is not really worth visiting other than out of curiosity.
Burrow Head
The picture below is of the big scary 30-40m high main cliff at Burrow Head, near the Isle of Whitorn. It is now very loose and would need some attention before it will be safe to climb here again - the pale and reddish are at the right hand end all fell down in the last couple of decades..! We don't think anyone was attached at the time.
Monreith
A nice spot about 2km south of Monreith village in the Machars. The crag is on the shore by the golf course. Access to the routes is directly form the lovely sandy beach, but only for 1 or 2 hours at low tide. It's a five minute walk form the end of the road. The routes are 15m long or so but are generally a bit loose and exciting, maybe the bouldering would be a better thing to come here for, since the landing is good.
Just north of this, and pictured below is the larger 30m high Main Wall behind a pinnacle in the foreground - I haven't climbed here
Clawbelly Hill
A grand wee venue though there is little to interest the serious climber. It is however a good venue for beginners with easy slabby climbing at grades like Mod, Diff and V. Diff, relatively quick and easy access and tree stumps at the top to belay on. The easy angled slab is over 15m high (long?), but there are no runners anywhere that I have seen yet.
The slab is on a minor road north of Clifton, on the east side of Clawbelly Hill about five minutes walk uphill from the road from possible parking at the entrance to the Dumfries Gliding Club.
