James Kinnaird on Missing Rib, 5c, Garheugh
Introduction Garheugh is a mixed area of greywacke crags and pinnacles between Glen Luce and Port William in Wigtownshire. This page was compiled by John Biggar, a professional Mountaineering Instructor and member of the AMI, who lives in SW Scotland. Contact me (details above) if you want to know more about climbing in Galloway or want to learn how to climb or abseil. This page was compiled with care, but it is not guaranteed error free.
Access The crags are mostly non-tidal and you don't need to abseil in to anything. To get here follow the A77 and/or A75 towards Stranraer until on the Glen Luce bypass, then take the A747 south down the west shore of Luce Bay to its junction with the B7005. The best parking is just at this junction, though there is also a small lay-by further north on the A747. The crags and bouldering areas are very quick to get to, one is literally right by the side of the road...!
Guidebook For a definitive list of all the climbs here see the SMC published Lowland Outcrops guidebook.
Only the best couple of areas and routes are described here, much of the rest is overgrown with lichen and/or brambles and/or ivy. Check out the following link to some descriptions of the harder boulder problems that I cannot manage on Scottish Climbs.com .. Garheugh
Point One
There is some very nice 5a to 5c bouldering here on this south facing 6m slab. It is the obvious long low slab of rock blocking the north end of the beach as you walk north from the junction parking area. There is a gravel beach at the base giving mostly very good landings. Descend off the back.
Routes, starting from the left hand end include:- 1. 1.1, 5a, *, which climbs the arête, 2. Dumby Boys, 5b, **, which climbs up and left from a triangular scoop with a hard start. The right trending easy line is 3. The Ramp, VD (quite a bit harder if you don't cheat at the start), next is 4. Broken Rib, 5a, which climbs a left trending line of holds, then 5. Missing Rib, 5b/ 5c, ** which climbs the slab immediately left of the rib (Picture on the title at the top of the page). The slabs most prominent feature is the 6. Unnamed Rib, VD, * Next right is 7. Rib Tiger, 5a, * climbs the slab using the triangular pocket, but not the rib. Finally 8. Tied and Bound, 5b,** climbs the slab, not using the large triangular pocket. Descent is easiest off the right hand end (away form the sea)
Main Crag
The main crag is a wee bit further north, consists of a deeply undercut natural slab on the left and an unstable looking quarried area on the right. The two hard E3/E4 routes on the undercut slab look nice, the wide crack system full of loose blocks is the nasty Snailey-Whaley, S and the corner round to the right is Flubb, VS 4c which is not particularly recommended either!
Smugglers Slab
This area 100m north of the main slab, has the best of the easier grade climbing. There are some good VS and HVS routes on the cleaner slab on the right with the weird wedged block wedged in the centre. Protection is poor on most of these routes, pretty much non-existent on Landmark. Smuggler's Grill, S takes the big wide crack, a bit traditional.... Bombin the L', VS 4c, * climbs the slab just right of the big crack, Landmark, HVS 4c, * climbs past to and past the weird wedged block and T Bone, HVS 4c, ** takes the faint right leaning crack on the right.
