Dorset has been at the forefront of UK sport climbing since the beginning. In 1989 Pete Oxley used drill pegs for an entire route called 'Cocteau Phenomena' 7b+ at Blacknor Central - this was the very first 'sport' climb on Portland. The next step saw the use of U-staples bolts many are familiar with today. Pete hand-made a lot of these bolts after seeing a similar system in Spain and became the first person to use them in the UK. From this point on, every new route has had these bolts placed and Pete even started working his way through the old peg routes and retro bolted all of the lines which were not being climbed due to the danger.
Since then a strong and dedicated local team of climbers have been bolting lines and retroing old ones. The time and expense involved in such an undertaking is huge and the majority of bolters are volunteers, so make sure to donate to the Dorset Bolt Fund via their website or their interactive collection tin on our reception desk when you're able.
So lets get to it! Here is a selection of some of our favourite routes!
1 - Very Ordinary Route, Hedbury, Swanage (Yes this is graded a 1!!!)
3 - Fallen Slab, Blacknor Beach, Portland
5 - Chalkie and the Hex 5, The Cuttings Portland
- Talking Smack, Blacknor North, Portland
6a - Go With The Flow, Blacknor Central, Portland
- Mothers Milk, Blacknor North, Portland
6a+ - Punter's Way, Blacknor Far South, Portland
- Reptile Smile, Blacknor North, Portland
6b - European Flavour, The Cuttings, Portland
- Toe the Line, Blacknor South, Portland
6b+ - Europe Endless, The Cuttings, Portland
- Burning Skies, Blacknor Central, Portland
6c - New Saladin, The Cuttings, Portland
- Queen Anne's Men, Winspit, Swanage
6c+ - Eight-Bar Blues, Wallsend North, Portland
- Haunted by a Million Screams, Dancing Ledge, Swanage
7a - Grossville, Promenade, Swanage
- Peppercorn Rate, Winspit, Swanage
7a+ - Pump Hitler, Battleship, Portland
- Kendo Nagasaki, Blacknor Far South, Portland
7b - Spanner Eyes, Blacknor North, Portland
- Ariane V, Wallsend South, Portland
7b+ - Racing Lines, Battleship, Portland
- Road Rage, Cheyne Weares, Portland
7c - Lunacy Booth, Winspit, Swanage
- Tennessee, Coastguard South, Portland
7c+ - Hurricane on a Millpond, The Cuttings, Portland
- The Big Blue, Lighthouse Area, Portland
8a - Balance of Power, White Hole, Portland
- The Breathing Method, The Cuttings, Portland
8a+ - Infinite Gravity, Blackers Hole, Swanage
- Fuel My Fire, Cattle Troughs, Swanage
8b - Vespasian, Coastguards North, Portland (Hardest sport route on Portland)
8c - Endeavour, Blackers Hole, Swanage (Hardest sport route in Dorset)
