Africa Buttress
This is the heavily excavated buttress in the top right-hand corner of the quarry. It’s bounded on the left side by the huge grassy scree slope that separate it from The Slabs. So called because it looks like Africa but not in the desert wasteland sense.
The upper walls can be approached via the Upper tier approach or by climbing one of the pitches below and creating a multipitch adventure.
Africa lower
1. Out of Africa (6b+)
Takes the left-hand side of lower arête avoiding crack on left.
2. Madagascar (6b)
A one move wonder on right-hand side of arête.
3. Bird Island pitch 1 (6a)
Climb the up the wall to gain the obvious corner. Climb this on to the Upper tier ledge and a belay. An easy way to gain access to this part of the Upper tier.
4. Seychelles (6b)
A good crack climb requiring traffic to clean it up a little more.
5. Rainbow Warrior (6c) ★
Climb the fine lower wall just left of arête to a difficult pull over the roof.
6. Weakened Warrior (6b)
The rounded arête right of Rainbow Warrior.
7. Sam in you Eye (6a+)
The pleasant orange wall which will clean up with more ascents.
8. During the War (6a+)
Climbs the wide crack left of the corner.
9. Before the War (5)
The obvious corner.
10. Sahara (6b+)
The arête in the back corner of the bay. Firable and unpopular.
Africa Upper
These walls are the extreme left end of the Upper Tier. They can be approached via the normal Upper Tier approach which begins by taking the right fork in the path before entering the quarry proper. Alternatively one can approach by climbing a pitch on the lower walls up to the ledges at the foot of upper section.
The first 7 routes start from a ledge. This can be gained by climbing one of the routes below or abseiling in from the top.
1. Elizabethville (6a)
The leftmost line on left-hand side of ledge.
2. Burundi (6b)
Another short route via thin crack with one hard move.
3. Townships (6c+)
A short desperate route.
4. Victoria Falls (6a)
Takes the crackline via sharp layaway edge. Easy in grade.
5. Kariba (6a+)
The steep, thin crackline.
6. Zanzibar (6b)
The slab on right. Step out of Kariba at 5m.
7. Simonstown (6c+) ★
The last line starting from the ledge. The righthand line up the slab has one very trying move.
8. Ring Thane (6c+) ★★
Climbs up the left side of the arête. Approach via Rainbow Warrior to make a good, 6c multipitch route.
9. Pretoria (6b+)
This climbs the right side of the arête.
10. Mombassa (6a)
Start as for Pretoria to gain the upper corner line.
11. Greenpeace (6a)
Start as Mombassa but climb the slab to the right of the corner. Contrived.
12. Bird Island pitch 2 (6a)
The second pitch climbs the pleasant upper arête.
13. Brew Thyme (6a)
A crackline just right of the arête.
14. Thyme Out (6a)
The wider crackline right again via an obvious niche.
15. What’s the Thyme? (6a)
The third crackline and just to the left of the corner.
16. Bridge Over the River Thyme (5)
The corner.
17. Bit of Spare Thyme (5+)
The first line right of the corner.
18. Fat Betty (4+)
The next corner line.
19. Take Your Thyme (5+)
The right wall of Fat Betty.
20. Porridge (4+)
Another corner line with worthwhile climbing.
21. Crunch Yer Nuts (4)
More crack and groove climbing.