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. There are a few short routes and some good bouldering. The crags are on a shingle beach and very close to the road.

Access   The crags are mostly non-tidal and you don't need an abseil approach to climb anything. To get here follow the A77 and/or A75 towards Stranraer until on the Glen Luce bypass, then take the A747 southwards along the east shore of Luce Bay to its junction with the B7005. The best parking is just at this junction, although 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 some of the easier routes are described here, much of the rest is overgrown with lichen and/or brambles and/or ivy.

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, although the routes can feel a bit highball. Descend off the back at the shore end.

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 from the sea).

 This slab has mostly good landings, and it is an easy walk off the back. 1. Robocop, 5a, layback the arete carefully or dyno for the top. 2. Screamers, 5c, is a tricky line on tiny edges and 3. Dreamers, 5a, climbs more easily up the wall past a couple of blocky pockets

Main Crag

The main crag is a wee bit further north, and 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 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.